Rajasthan Won by 7 wickets against Chennai

Rajasthan Won by 7 wickets against Chennai

Rajasthan Royals are still alive in the tournament. They defeated Chennai Super Kings in a one-sided contest. Chennai’s playoffs path now rests on other results as they can now get a maximum of 14 points.

PERFORMERS OF THE DAY

RAJASTHAN ROYALS Bat: Jos Buttler 70(48) Bowl: Shreyas Gopal 4-0-14-1 Rahul Tewatia 4-0-18-1

CHENNAI SUPER KINGS Bat: Ravindra Jadeja 35(30) MS Dhoni 28(28) Bowl: Deepak Chahar 4-1-18-2 Hazelwood 4-0-19-1

AS IT HAPPENED

CSK won the toss and chose to bat first. It was a positive decision, given the pitch and the fact that it was a pressure game for both teams. But Chennai made a mockery of a do or die game and handed Rajasthan some net run rate along with 2 points on a platter.

Chennai’s top order and their experience of pressure games collapsed tonight. Faf and Watson departed in the powerplay as CSK were 45-2 after 6 overs. Rayudu and Curran didn’t do much damage outside the powerplay either. The top 4 were back in the dressing room under 10 overs.

RR’s spinners spun a web in the middle overs that CSK just could not negate. Tewatia and Gopal gave away just 32 runs in their 8 overs and took a wicket a piece.

Lack of Intent by CSK

Lack of intent by Dhoni and Jadeja cost CSK the match . Dhoni scored a run a ball 28 and Jadeja had a strike rate of just over 100. It was a nothing to lose situation for CSK tonight as a loss today meant their departure from the run for playoffs. A conservative approach in such a situation was baffling to watch.

Rajasthan didn’t have much to chase. A target of 126 runs should’ve been a cake walk, which it ultimately became. Rajasthan Won by 7 wickets .

Hiccups in the Beginning but Experience Steps In

RR were subdued by some quality in the beginning by Chahar and Hazelwood. RR were 31-3 after the powerplay and it seemed like CSK had a genuine chance. But the experience of Buttler and Smith came in handy for RR. Buttler and Smith prevented any further damage. Smith’s strike rate suffered but with the required rate under 7, it was never going to be an issue.

Buttler Shines in a One-Sided Contest
Buttler and Smith took no risks after the quick wickets and once Buttler was set, the chase was always going RR’s way. He made an unbeaten 70 off 48 balls and finished the game in the 18th over itself.

Read Also : Two Super Overs For The First Time In The History Of Cricket