Rajasthan Royals (RR) beat Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 5 wickets at Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Friday, 20 May. The win also ensured that Sanju Samson & Co booked his berth in Qualifier 1 with Hardik Pandya’s Gujarat Titans (GT).
Super Kings did not start well as Trent Boult dismissed the dangerous Ruturaj Gaikwad. But from there, Moeen Ali threw everything down the kitchen sink and scored the second-fastest fifty by a CSK batsman in just 19 balls.
The left-handed batsman ensured that the Super Kings scored 75 runs in the powerplay. However, the Yellow Army completely lost the plot as they scored only 75 runs in the last 14 overs under a run-a-ball. Barring Moeen, who scored 93 runs in 57 with 13 fours and a six, none of CSK’s batsmen could make an impact.
Dhoni scored 26 runs in 28 balls with the help of a four and a six, but could never progress. His knock ended after Yuzvendra Chahal was dismissed. Narayan Jagadeesan and Ambati Rayudu failed to reach double digits in the playing XI in place of Shivam Dube.
Obed McCoy was the RR bowler as he took two crucial wickets of Moeen Ali and Jagadeesan and conceded 20 runs in four overs. Chahal also took two wickets.
Ashwin stepped up
Royals had a poor start after IPL 2022 Orange Cap holder Jos Buttler was killed in the second over. Simarjit Singh falsely attacked him. Left-handed Yashasvi Jaiswal showed a lot of maturity and completed his fifty off 39 balls.
He was dismissed in the 15th over to spinner Prashant Solanki. Sanju Samson and Devdutt Padikkal fell cheap as Royals pressed on to score in the middle overs. But the decision to promote Ravi Ashwin paid off. He remained unbeaten on 40 off 23 balls with the help of two fours and three sixes.
On the strength of their innings, Royals chased down the target with two balls to spare. Shimron Hetmyer, who returned to the XI after becoming a father, was dismissed cheaply. However, Ashwin held his nerve and pushed the Royals past the finishing line.
Riyan Parag made 10 runs off a run-a-ball and provided crucial support to Ashwin in the death overs. Mukesh Chaudhary, who has been a revelation to the Super Kings, could not perform as he scored 41 runs in four overs.
Royals also pushed Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) to third place, meaning KL Rahul & Co need to win three matches in a row to win the IPL. For CSK, the tournament came to a close.