A blazing 56, a fiery four-for, and a playoff dream still alive—RCB's 2013 miracle night at a soaked Chinnaswamy had it all
The rain gods toyed with Bengaluru's loyal cricket faithful on May 18, 2013. Umbrellas popped open like confetti. Fans sat, soaked yet stubborn, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, hoping for a game—any game.
Just when it seemed the skies might steal their night, the drizzle eased up. From an anxious wait bloomed an 8-overs-a-side firecracker. The stakes? Sky-high for Royal Challengers Bangalore. Win, or watch the playoffs drift away.
Credit: ESPN
Out strode Virat Kohli, eyes glinting with that familiar fire. What followed was part masterclass, part mayhem.
Virat wasn't easing into this one. He took charge from ball one and danced down the track to R Ashwin, lofting one over long-on like he was swatting away a fly.
His innings was a blur of flat-batted sixes and silken drives—he treated Jason Holder and Chris Morris with equal disdain. In a 29-ball stay, he crunched 56 runs, laced with 6 boundaries and 4 sixes, striking at 193. It wasn't just fluent—it was ferocious.
By the end of the 5th over, RCB had rocketed to 66. Chris Gayle had walloped 28 off just 13, and while AB de Villiers didn't hang around, Kohli more than made up for it.
Moises Henriques joined in with a brief but brutal 12 off 3 balls, including 3 boundaries that sent the crowd roaring. RCB posted 106/2 in just eight overs, which looked Everest-high on that damp pitch.
Credit: ESPN
If Kohli had set it up, Zaheer Khan sealed it. The veteran pacer, with all his experience and guile, rolled back the years. He began by sending Michael Hussey back cheaply, then cleaned up Suresh Raina for a golden duck.
Dhoni tried to counterattack, even striking at 240 with 24 off 10, but the required rate was already ballooning by then.
Zaheer wasn't done. He returned to dismiss Dhoni and then snapped up Jadeja off the last ball of the innings, finishing with stunning figures of 2-0-17-4. In an eight-over slog-fest, those are gold-dust numbers.
RCB's bowlers kept it tight— Jaydev Unadkat, Vinay Kumar, and Ravi Rampaul all chipped in—but it was Zaheer's night under the floodlights.
Credit: ESPN
Chennai Super Kings, chasing 107, stumbled early and never recovered. Hussey fell in the second over. Raina was gone on the next ball.
Murali Vijay tried to revive things with a breezy 32, but his dismissal at 56 for 4 ended whatever faint hopes CSK had. Dhoni's cameo was too little, too late. Eventually, they limped to 82 for 6, falling 24 runs short.
Notably, CSK's powerplay yielded just 11 runs for two wickets, in stark contrast to RCB's attacking intent. On a night when the format demanded instant action, CSK's conservatism cost them dearly.
Credit: ESPN
This wasn't just another IPL win. For RCB, it was survival. The victory pushed their playoff dream into the hands of fate.
Kohli had delivered under pressure, and Zaheer had produced one of the most effective spells in shortened match history. Bengaluru had come alive, despite the showers, to witness one of their most complete team efforts.
The match may have been cut short that night, but the impact lingered long.
