This is Rajasthan’s ninth win in 14 matches. The team’s name is 18 points equal to Lucknow Super Giants but due to better net run rate, they are in second place. Chennai’s team is at the ninth position with 10 losses in 14 matches.
Chennai Super Kings scored 150 for six on the back of veteran Moeen Ali’s 93 off 57 balls. In 19.4 overs, Rajasthan achieved the target for the loss of five wickets and registered their third consecutive win. This is Chennai’s third consecutive defeat.
Jaiswal, with eight fours and a six in 44 balls, laid the foundation for the victory by sharing a 51-run partnership with captain Sanju Samson (15 runs) for the second wicket, while the man of the match Ashwin scored two in an aggressive innings of 23 balls. Hit four fours and three sixes. He made an unbroken partnership of 39 runs in 3.2 overs with Riyan Parag (10 not out) to win the team.
Earlier, Ashwin did wonders in the bowling too, taking one wicket for 28 runs in four overs. He also got great support from Yuzvendra Chahal (2 for 26), Obed McCoy (2 for 20).
For Chennai, Moeen shared a 51-run stand with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (26 off 28 balls) for the second wicket with an 83-run stand with Devon Conway (16 off 14 balls) for the second wicket. Moeen hit 13 fours and three sixes in his innings.
Chennai were in a good position after scoring 75 for one after six overs but after that the Rajasthan bowlers tightened the noose.
Chasing the target, the Rajasthan team was given a big blow in the second over by Simarjit Singh (one wicket for 18 runs) by dismissing Jos Buttler (two runs).
After this, opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and captain Sanju Samson batted carefully and maintained the run-rate. Jaiswal hit two fours against Mukesh Chaudhary in the third over.
Samson also hit a four off the balls of Mukesh and Simarjeet.
In the ninth over of the innings, Mitchell Santner (one wicket for 15 runs) ended Samson’s innings by taking a brilliant catch off his ball. Moeen (1 for 21) carried Devdutt Padikkal (3 runs) in the 12th over.
Meanwhile, from the eighth to the 12th over, Rajasthan’s team could score only 17 runs. Jaiswal completed his fifty in 39 balls with a six against Moin in the 14th over. In the next over, he completed the team’s century by hitting a six off the first ball of Prashant Solanki (two wickets for 20 runs). In the same over, however, Solanki ended his half-century by trapping Jaiswal in his spin.
The bowler showed him the way to the pavilion in his 17th over after being hit for a four by Shimron Hetmyer (six runs). In the last ball of this over, Ashwin reduced the required run-rate by hitting a six.
Now Rajasthan needed 32 runs in three overs and against Pathirana, Riyan and Ashwin took the pressure off the over by scoring 13 runs from the over. After this, he made a four on Mathisha Pathirana and then made the team’s victory by hitting a six against Mukesh Chaudhary.
After being invited to bowl first, Trent Boult (1 for 44) got Ruturaj Gaikwad (2 runs) caught by wicketkeeper-captain Sanju Samson in the first over itself.
However, this tremor had no effect on Chennai. In the third over, Boult’s ball went for a six after taking the upper edge of Conway’s bat and then hit a superb boundary.
Moeen then hit a boundary in the power play. He hit four fours and a six in the fourth over against famous Krishna, two fours and a six against Ashwin in the fifth over and five fours and a six against Trent Boult in the sixth over.
During this, he completed his fifty in 19 balls, which is the second fastest fifty of this IPL season. Chennai team scored 75 runs for the loss of one wicket in the power play.
The Rajasthan bowlers, however, curbed the run-rate after that. In the eighth over, Ashwin took Conway leg before. In the next over, McCoy walks N Jagadeesan (one run).
Devdutt Padikkal took a brilliant catch off Chahal’s delivery at the slip of Ambati Rayudu (3 runs), who returned to the team.
After this, Samson gave two lives to Dhoni, who came to bat. Samson dropped his catch off Chahal and then McCoy.
Meanwhile, the team completed a century of runs in the 12th over. Dhoni ended the boundary drought by hitting a four in the 15th over. This boundary for the team came after 36 balls.
Moeen welcomed Krishna for a six in the 18th over and then hit a four off Chahal’s first ball in the 19th over. In the affair of hitting a big shot on the last ball of the same over, Dhoni gave the catch to Butler.
McCoy ended Moeen’s brilliant innings on the first ball of the last over. Chennai team could score only four runs in this over.
Source: navbharattimes.indiatimes.com
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