A tense rivalry between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) fans boiled over into a physical altercation during Wednesday's IPL 2024 Eliminator at the Narendra Modi Stadium on May 22. A video has gone viral on social media from the day of the Eliminator, showing a man wearing an RCB jersey and another in CSK jersey engaged in ugly fight.
Watch video here:
Despite RCB facing Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the do-or-die playoff match, a significant number of CSK supporters were present with the intention of celebrating an RCB defeat. This followed a period of online trolling between the two fan bases, reportedly triggered by RCB fans celebrating their group-stage victory over CSK on May 18th, which knocked CSK out of playoff contention. The charged atmosphere culminated in a physical altercation between CSK and RCB fans, requiring security intervention.
While RCB managed to eliminate their arch-rivals CSK, they were unable to capitalize on their recent six-game winning streak. Chasing a modest target of 173, Rajasthan Royals secured a convincing win thanks to key contributions from Yashasvi Jaiswal (45), Riyan Parag (36), Shimron Hetmyer, and Rovman Powell (16*). Earlier, RCB set a target of 172/8, with Rajat Patidar (34), Virat Kohli (33), and Mahipal Lomror (32) being the top scorers.
This defeat marks the end of RCB's IPL 2024 campaign. Despite a strong comeback in the latter half of the season, they faltered at the crucial playoff stage once again. Conversely, CSK hold the distinction of being five-time IPL champions, including a victory over RCB in the 2011 final. They also maintain a dominant head-to-head record against RCB, boasting 21 wins to RCB's 11.