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Chennai : The 17th edition of the IPL kicked off with a bang as Chennai Super Kings (CSK) edged out Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by 6 wickets in a thrilling encounter at the M.A Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Young Kiwi sensation Rachin Ravindra impressed for CSK with a quickfire 37, but it was Shivam Dube's unbeaten knock of 34 that stole the show. Dube's late blitz ensured CSK chased down a challenging target of 174 with 8 balls to spare.
Earlier, RCB opted to bat first and rode on a late partnership between Anuj Rawat (48) and Dinesh Karthik (38) to post a respectable 173/6. Debutant pacer Mustafizur Rahman was the star with the ball for CSK, claiming a fiery four-wicket haul.
CSK got off to a flying start with openers Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rachin Ravindra finding the boundary with ease. However, wickets at regular intervals pegged them back. Dube's late heroics, with some lusty blows towards the end, ensured CSK crossed the finish line comfortably.
This win marks a perfect start for CSK under their new leader Ruturaj Gaikwad, while RCB will look to regroup and come back stronger in their next match.
