The IPL classics - M.Chinnaswamy Stadium

Located in the heart of the city, M.Chinnaswamy Stadium has been the omphalos for all the avid cricket fans in the city. Popularly known as the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), the stadium was named as a tribute to M.Chinnaswamy - a former BCCI president.

With 81 matches, the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium has hosted the most number of matches in the Indian Premier League. 

Easily one of the best venues to bat, the five-decade-old stadium has witnessed a cloudburst of runs. The M.Chinnaswamy Stadium has an aggregate of 24,502 runs in the Indian Premier League across the years.

Let us take a look at some of the most memorable matches at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium. 

23rd April 2013 - RCB v PWI 

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Belligerent, barbaric, triturate - Chris Gayle portrayed a zenith batting spectacle at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium scoring an unprecedented 175 runs in his innings. The southpaw took the long handle to the Pune Warriors' bowling attack, pummelling 14 sixes and 17 sixes during his 66-ball stay at the crease.

The experienced opening pair of Chris Gayle and Tillakaratne Dilshan laid out a perfect foundation for the incoming batters to follow - adding 167 runs in just 82 balls. Riding on Chris Gayle's bludgeoning knock and AB de Villiers' blitz, RCB posted a gigantic total of 263 runs - highest by any team in the IPL. 

Pune Warriors' response was marred by an early wicket. While trying to impose a reverse sweep of Murali Karthik's delivery, Robin Uthappa hovered it out to the short third man fielder. Yuvraj Singh took strike opposite Aaron Finch. The skipper, Aaron Finch's stay at the crease was cut short courtesy of a brilliant catch from Murali Karthik. The left-arm pacer, Jaydev Unadkat dealt two major blows, dismissing Luke Wright and Yuvraj Singh within the space of 3 deliveries. With still 221 runs adrift, the target was well out of the sight for the visitors. 

In the end, Royal Challengers Bangalore recorded an emphatic 130-run victory over the Pune Warriors India. Chris Gayle, the wrecker-in-chief, was adjudged Man of the Match for his monumental 175-run knock in just 66 balls.

24th May 2016 - RCB v GL - Qualifier 1 

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Earlier, Royal Challengers Bangalore won the all-important toss and opted to field first.

However, the RCB bowling annex exercised a plan to tackle the dangerous opening pair of Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Smith. The left-arm orthodox spinner, Iqbal Abdulla struck the first blow, alluring McCullum with a flighted delivery, who eventually found the long-on fielder. In the following over, Aaron Finch fell victim to a good length delivery and in the process, edging it to Chris Gayle in the slip cordon. 

Gujarat Lions struggled to come to terms on a sluggish Bengaluru wicket. Initially, Dwayne Smith assessed the condition and employed a prudent approach. 

In pursuit of propelling the team to a competitive total, Dwayne Smith switched gears in the 14th over. Dwayne Smith's 42-ball stay at the crease was laced with five boundaries and four gigantic sixes. The RCB bowlers exploited the conditions to perfection - reducing the visitors to a below-par target of 158 runs. 

In anticipation of a run-fest, the crowd witnessed a cascade of wickets on a slow and sluggish wicket - an unfamiliar sight at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium. 

In reply to the chase, Royal Challengers Bangalore received early jolts, drawing resemblances to Gujarat Lions' story in the 1st innings. With Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, and Shane Watson back in the hut inside the powerplay, RCB were not the horse to back on.

The Protea batsman, AB de Villiers, had orchestrated innumerable come-from-behind performances and was again tasked with pioneering the team through to the final. AB de Villiers along with Iqbal Abdulla compiled an innings-steadying partnership - enforcing calculated risks and scored at 7-an-over to keep the asking rate in check.

AB de Villiers unleashed his big-hitting proficiencies in the 15th over; hoisting two consecutive sixes of Dwayne Smith's deliveries. With the scorecard reading 108 for 5 in the 15th over, the target was well in sight for the home side. 

The next 30 minutes were an encapsulation of extraordinary stroke-making, ecstasy, and wild celebration  - AB de Villiers and Abdulla's 91-run partnership steered RCB to their third final of the Indian Premier League. 

RCB - the breakdown of runs 

The ABD-Abdulla liaison fuelled the run-chase with perfection. The run-rate received a major boost when AB de Villiers decided to offset Gujarat bowlers by counter-attacking. The pair's shrewd batting approach kept the asking rate in check and also shifted gears dramatically in the 15th over. 

21st April 2019 - RCB v CSK  

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Coming off from a much-needed victory against Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers Bangalore squared off against Chennai Super Kings at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium. 

After winning the toss, the visitors asked RCB to bat first. The CSK bowlers vindicated the decision by accounting for Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers within the first six overs. 

Seasoned campaigner, Parthiv Patel's well-constructed half-century ably supported by vital contributions from Marcus Stoinis and Moeen Ali propelled RCB to a challenging total on the board. 

In pursuit of the chase, CSK started off on a dreadful note. For RCB, the damage was done upfront, with Dale Steyn at the forefront of things; dismissing Shane Watson and Suresh Raina in consecutive deliveries. It was just a matter of keeping the batsman on a tight leash and maintaining the pressure throughout the innings.  After being reduced to 28 for 4 wickets, MS Dhoni joined forces with Ambati Rayudu, the pair steadied the ship and knit together a vital 55-run partnership. 

However, Dhoni worked his way to a 35-ball half-century and began to cut loose in the 17th over. With 26 runs needed off the final over, Dhoni racked 24 runs in 5 deliveries. It seemed that it was all over for the home side. 

The events that followed during the next 40 seconds were inexplicable. Thanks to Parthiv Patel's last-ball heroics, RCB emerged victorious in a nerve-wracking game at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium.

The Pace Comparison 

The pacers dominated the proceedings at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium.

However, Navdeep Saini was tasked with bowling to one of the best finishers in the world in a difficult position, the latter responded to it in a very matured way and delivered for the home side - conceding just 24 runs from his full quota of four overs. Bolstered by the presence of Dale Steyn in the bowling ranks, the bowlers were relentless with their approach and showed positive intent throughout the game.