CCL 2024: Defending champions Telugu Warriors knocked out of tournament by Chennai Rhinos

On March 10, when the four south teams took the field at the stadium in Thiruvananthapuram for the 2 last group stage matches, the writing on the wall was clear for at least 2. The Karnataka Bulldozers, having won three of their group encounters and topping the points and net run rate chart, had already booked a berth in the play-offs, while the Kerala Strikers had been eliminated, having registered only 1 win.

With the Bengal Tigers and the Mumbai Heroes having secured play-off spots a day earlier, it was down to the Telugu Warriors and Chennai Rhinos to fight for the last available slot. Akhil Akkineni’s team trounced the Karnataka Bulldozers fair and square and moved up from 5th position to 4th with a net run rate of 0.456. At the time, the Chennai Rhinos went down to 5thposition, but with their final match yet to take place, they still had a glimmer of hope.

To make it to the play-offs, the Chennai Rhinos not only needed a win over the Kerala Strikers, but it also had to be quick and resounding. Luckily for them, the Kerala Strikers made the job easy for them in a very low scoring match, that the Rhinos won with nearly 6 overs to spare and having lost only 1 wicket.

With 5 teams tied at 6 points each, it became about number crunching with the net run rate, and the Chennai Rhinos’ effort didn’t just put them in the top 4, but also ahead of the Mumbai Heroes, effectively knocking the four-time CCL champions Telugu Warriors out of the competition.

Next weekend, when the action returns to Thiruvananthapuram for the play-offs, the Chennai Rhinos will play the Mumbai Heroes in the Eliminator match and should either of them win that, the winner will have to play the loser of the first qualifier between the Bulldozers and the Bengal Tigers yet again on the same day.