Navi Mumbai: Chennai Super Kings, the defending champions in IPL 2022, finally managed to snap their four-match losing streak with a 23-run win over Royal Challengers Bangalore at the DY Patil Stadium. But their attention was taken away by Ambati Rayudu, whose services weren’t needed with the bat, producing a moment of brilliance on the field, leaving social media in awe.
In Tuesday’s match, everyone was left floored on seeing the carnage from the bats of Shivam Dube (95 not out off 46 balls) and Robin Uthappa (88 off 50 balls). On the fourth ball of the 16th over when Bangalore, under scoreboard pressure, were struggling to chase a mammoth total of 216, Rayudu increased their troubles when he plucked a sensational one-handed stunning catch of Akash Deep off captain Ravindra Jadeja.
Jadeja bowled a short-of-length ball which stopped on Deep, who tried to drive on the up.
Rayudu, who was fielding at short cover, sensationally dived to his right and threw himself in the air to take the catch with his right hand. He did not let the ball go off his hand even after falling on the ground.
Rayudu’s athleticism on the field drew a lot of attention and awe from the cricketing world on social media.
“Ambiti Rayudu just took the catch of the season!!!” tweeted former West Indies cricketer and commentator Ian Bishop.
“Is it a Bird or is it a Plane? Nah !. It’s Namma @RayuduAmbati,” commented CSK’s official fan club account.
“How old is Ambati Rayudu? He’s literally flying! #WhistlePodu #CSK,” wrote a CSK supporter on Twitter.
“Ambati Rayudu Just took the catch of the season,” typed in another cricket fan.
Earlier, pushed in to bat first, Dube and Uthappa bailed Chennai out of trouble at 36/2 in 6.4 overs with a mammoth 165-run partnership off just 74 balls, helping the reigning champions post a gigantic 216/4 in their 20 overs.
In reply, Shabhaz Ahmed, Suyash Prabhudessai and Dinesh Karthik produced critical knocks but Bangalore could manage to make 193/9 in their 20 overs, giving Chennai their first win of the tournament.
After pocketing a win against their name, Chennai will face Gujarat Titans at Pune on Sunday while Bangalore will be up against Delhi Capitals at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday.
