Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman announced his arrival in IPL 2024 with a bang, grabbing a crucial four-wicket haul for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their opening match win against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Friday, March 22.
Mustafizur Rahman’s dominant display with the ball
Rahman’s spell at Chepauk proved instrumental in restricting RCB for 173/6. He struck early, dismissing both Faf du Plessis and Rajat Patidar in the fifth over. Mustafizur returned in the 12th over to claim the prized scalps of Virat Kohli and Cameron Green, leaving RCB in tatters at 78/5.
Despite Mustafizur’s brilliance, Anuj Rawat (48 off 25) and Dinesh Karthik (38 not-out off 26) stitched together a crucial 95-run partnership for the sixth wicket, rescuing RCB from a precarious position.
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CSK cruises to victory
Though CSK conceded some late runs, their bowling attack did enough damage. In reply, the Chennai-based franchise chased down the target comfortably in 18.4 overs with six wickets in hand. Contributions from debutant Rachin Ravindra (37 off 15), Ajinkya Rahane (27 off 19), Shivam Dube (34* off 28), and Ravindra Jadeja (25* off 17) ensured a smooth victory.
No post-match interview for Mustafizur Rahman
Mustafizur was deservedly awarded the Player of the Match trophy for his outstanding bowling performance. However, fans were left surprised when the post-match presentation ceremony concluded abruptly after he received his award.
The reason behind the missing speech was a communication gap. Mustafizur, primarily comfortable in Bengali, couldn’t address the local crowd as neither commentator Ravi Shastri nor any CSK player was fluent in speaking Bengali. Though former CSK captain MS Dhoni understands Bengali, he isn’t fluent enough to translate effectively. As a result, the customary post-match interaction with the Player of the Match was skipped.