PremiumCCL 2024: Chennai Rhinos’ win against Kerala Strikers gives them top 4 spot
In the competition for the last available spot of the top 4 teams heading into the play-offs, the Chennai Rhinos pipped the Telugu Warriors after resounding victory over the Kerala Strikers
Last Updated: 11.27 PM, Mar 10, 2024
The last group stage match of CCL 2024 between the Chennai Rhinos and Kerala Strikers had to go the way of the former, even though the latter was playing on home ground. The Strikers were already eliminated from the tournament when they headed into this match, and a win would not have really mattered for them. On the contrary, for the Chennai Rhinos, victory here could decide if they were returning to Thiruvananthapuram next weekend or headed back home tonight.
The Kerala Strikers won the toss and opted to bat, and equalled the lowest innings score set by the Bhojpuri Dabanggs a week ago. A ‘grand’ total of 59 runs was on the board and for a team like the Rhinos, that should have been cakewalk. Instead, they struggled with scoring early on, lost wickets and seemed out of sorts, until Shantanu steadied the innings and got them to 85 runs and a lead of 26 runs.
If the Strikers really wanted to make a match out this, they needed to go well past 100 runs in their second innings, but all that they could muster was 68 runs, which meant that the Rhinos needed only 43 runs for victory. After an initial flurry of activity that kept the scoreboard ticking, more disciplined bowling by the Strikers slowed down the match for a bit. The Rhinos, though, could not be contained much longer Ajay Rohan got them across the finish line, despite nursing an injury that required him to have a runner on the field.
This superlative performance secured a top 4 spot for the Rhinos. They will next play the Mumbai Heroes in the eliminator match on March 16. If the Rhinos win, they will also have to play against the loser of the first qualifier between the Karnataka Bulldozers and Bengal Tigers.
The 10th edition of CCL 2024 will wind up next weekend, after the three play-offs, and finale, scheduled to be held between March 15 and March 17. JioCinema, Doordarshan and Sony Ten 5 have the live telecast rights of the matches.