The Chennai Super Kings bowlers pulled it back brilliantly after Rajasthan Royals had raced off to 79/1 at the end of the Powerplay. But the response from their batters was again not good enough as Rajasthan Royals prevailed over them by 6 runs in Sunday’s clash at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati.
In response to the Royals’ 182/9, the Super Kings had a meaningful contribution only from their captain Ruturaj Gaikwad (63 off 44 balls) before Ravindra Jadeja’s late fightback, as all they could manage was 176/6, slumping to their second straight defeat.
For the Royals, this was their maiden win of the season after disappointing showings against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders.
Pace-spin show
The momentum was with the Super Kings after their bowlers braved excellent batting conditions to emerge on top. For the Royals, their pace spearhead Jofra Archer was very much under pressure, but the tone was set by the England quick with his fast and accurate opening over.
Archer did not just bowl a maiden, which was the first and only one so far of this IPL, but also took the prized wicket of Rachin Ravindra in that over, hitting the Super Kings hard at the very start of their reply. Archer couldn’t complete his spell, but conceding only 13 off his three overs and bowling 13 dot balls, the pacer crucial to hurting the Royals’ progress in the first six overs.
Even Gaikwad struggled to put Archer away.
After Archer, Wanindu Hasaranga took over. Dismissing Rahul Tripathi, Impact Player Shivam Dube — thanks to a brilliant diving catch from stand-in captain Riyan Parag — Vijay Shankar and Gaikwad, the Sri Lankan spinner’s strikes badly dented Chennai’s progress in those middle overs. They just couldn’t recover from thereon.
Just as the Super Kings’ Afghanistan spinner Noor Ahmad troubled the Royals batters with his wrong’uns, Hasaranga too relied primarily on his googly that earned him success.
Jadeja and IPL debutant Jamie Overton tried till the final over, with CSK needing 20 off the last six balls. But it was too much to do in the end.
The Super Kings also needed a little extra from Mahendra Singh Dhoni. But the former captain, coming out to bat at No. 7, could only hit a four and a six for his 11-ball 16. It’s time Dhoni considers going further up the order.
Stunning knock
The Royals were hurt early when Khaleel Ahmed induced a mistimed shot from Yashasvi Jaiswal in the third ball of the game. But thereafter, Nitish Rana, promoted to No.3, unleashed a flurry of strokes to hit a superb 81 off 36 balls, an innings studded with 10 boundaries and five maximums.
The former KKR captain took no half-measures against Ravichandran Ashwin too, racing to his maiden half-century in this IPL off only 21 balls. Using the depth of the crease, he tonked the ball with ease, especially over the on-side. Ashwin had the last laugh though.
The spinner foxed an onrushing Rana in the 12th over bowling wide of the stumps and Dhoni was quick to dislodge the bails. But the damage was done by then.