Vital contributions from most of the batters helped CSK get to 188 after being put into bat. In reply, RR were set to launch an attack in the last 10 overs, but the CSK spin twins Ravindra Jadeja and Moeen Ali ran through the RR middle-order to help CSK register a thumping 45-run win.
No Chennai Super Kings batsman got a half-century, and with the highest individual score of 33 in the innings, you may not expect a team to score 188. However, the depth of the CSK batting line-up came to the fore, and there were contributions from almost all the batters. The bowling did a brilliant job, and, in the end, it proved to be an easy 45-run win for the three-time IPL champions.
Sanju Samson won his third toss in a row, and as is the trend at Wankhede, he asked MS Dhoni’s CSK to bat first. There were no changes on either side.
Jaydev Unadkat could’ve had Ruturaj Gaikwad first ball as the latter nicked one, which just evaded Rahul Tewatia (who got his fingertips) at first slip and went away for four. It was a promising start for RR, and they kept up the pressure for the first four overs. The left-arm pacers bowled the first four overs and gave away just 25 runs.
Gaikwad was once again struggling for timing and just couldn’t get going. The only two boundaries that came in the first four overs were off Faf du Plessis’ bat, who went out on the attack early. He had scored 15 off 10 balls before Gaikwad was foxed by a cutter from Mustafizur Rahman. That wicket didn’t affect du Plessis, who smashed Unadkat for 19 runs in the fifth over, to give CSK some impetus. However, the former South African skipper’s entertaining cameo came to an end as Chris Morris had du Plessis holing out to deep cover.
At the end of the powerplay, CSK reached 46/2 and barring that 19-run over from Unadkat, the RR bowlers had done a fantastic job of containing the batsmen. Moeen Ali came in and continued his good form as he struck the ball cleanly and kept pegging away with regular boundaries. But Rahul Tewatia ended his stay as Ali fell for 26.
Ambati Rayudu came in and started smashing the ball, continuing from where Ali left off. He smashed three sixes in his 17-ball stay at the crease. Suresh Raina struck a couple of boundaries as well. CSK were motoring along nicely and were 120/3 in 13 overs and looked set for a 190+ first innings total.
Chetan Sakariya continued to impress as he dismissed both Rayudu and Raina in the same over to tilt the game in RR’s favour. MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja couldn’t really press the advantage home as they struggled to find the boundaries. In fact, at one stage, their partnership was 10 off 16 balls before Dhoni struck a couple of boundaries.
Sakariya came back and got the wicket of the CSK skipper. Sam Curran played a small little cameo, scoring 13 off six before Dwayne Bravo finished it off with an 8-ball 20. The last three overs produced 45 runs, and that propelled CSK to 188.
Chasing almost 9.5 runs an over, RR got off to a sedate start. Manan Vohra’s lack of form continued while Jos Buttler looked fluent at the other end. He struck the ball cleanly and got the boundaries frequently as well. Vohra holed out to deep mid-wicket off Sam Curran in the four over, and Sanju Samson couldn’t last long either. The RR skipper miscued a slower delivery straight to mid-on to give Curran his second.
Shivam Dube struggled to get going while Buttler at the other end was finding the fence with ease and took the attack to Jadeja, striking him for a couple of fours and a six across two overs. Dube’s inability to get the boundaries and even rotate strike at times saw the required rate go beyond 11.
A change in ball saw the game twist and turn. Jadeja found some turn, and that proved to be the undoing of Buttler as his stumps were knocked over with a beauty. Jadeja then had Dube LBW a few balls later before Moeen Ali ran through the RR lower middle-order to leave them reeling at 95/7. RR had lost five wickets for just eight runs in the span of 21 balls.
Unadkat and Tewatia swing their bats around and helped RR reduce the margin of defeat as they crawled to 143/9 in 20 overs. This win has now taken CSK to the second spot on the points table.
Brief Scores: Chennai Super Kings 188/9 (du Plessis 33, Ali 26, Rayudu 27, Sakariya 3/36, Morris 2/33) beat Rajasthan Royals 143/9 (Buttler 49, Unadkat 24, Ali 3/7, Curran 2/24, Jadeja 2/28) by 45 runs
