As it happened in Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals match in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019.
Rajasthan Royals lost another thriller as Chennai Super Kings won by 8 runs on Sunday in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019. Mahendra Singh Dhoni's well-calculated half-century in challenging conditions turned out to be game-changer as Chennai won their third match of the season. They now sit top of the IPL table.
Dhoni paced his innings beautifully, scoring unbeaten 75 off 46 balls to lead his side to a competitive 175 for five, seizing momentum from Royals bowlers who were off to an inspiring start. The Royals needed someone to play a Dhoni-like innings but none took that responsibility and they could manage 167 for 8, suffering their third defeat in as many matches.
Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer took the chase deep with their fiery 44-run stand but Dwayne Bravo bowled a brilliant last over, defending 12 runs that Royals needed to score to claim the win.
Earlier, Dhoni used his vast experience to read the conditions and mostly worked the ball around to keep the scoreboard ticking. Whenever he got the chance, he opened his arms and hit four fours and as many sixes.
Dhoni and Suresh Raina (36) added 61 runs for the fourth wicket, pushing the ball around and later the former India skipper raised a 56-run stand with West Indies' Dwayne BBravo who added quick 27 runs.
Brief Scores: CSK 175/5 after 20 overs (MS Dhoni 75, Suresh Raina 36). RR 167/8 after 20 overs (Ben Stokes 46, Rahul Tripathi 39).
1. RR win toss, CSK to bat first
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IPL 2019, CSK vs RR: Rajasthan Royals captain Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and elected to bowl first against Chennai Super Kings.
The @rajasthanroyals Skipper @ajinkyarahane88 wins the toss and elects to bowl first against the @ChennaiIPL #CSKvRR #VIVOIPL pic.twitter.com/4450Q8vEBM
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 31, 2019
2. CSK lose Ambati Rayudu early
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Chennai suffered an early loss as Ambati Rayudu (1) fell in the second over. Rayudu was caught behind by Jos Buttler off Jofra Archer. (Image: AFP)
3. Shane Watson, Kedar Jadhav out
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Rajasthan Royals kept up the pressure and soon got the wicket of Shane Watson (13). He was caught at short third man by Archer off Ben Stokes. Kedar Jadhav, who has remained not out in both of CSK's win, was gone soon after adding just 8 runs. (Image: AFP)
4. Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni steady innings
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With CSK 27/3 after 4.5 overs, the two most experienced batsmen - Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni - took charge of rebuilding the innings. They added 61 runs for the fourth wicket before Raina (36) was dismissed by Jaydev Unadkat. (Image: AFP)
5. MS Dhoni leads CSK recovery
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After Raina's wicket, MS Dhoni took charge of the recovery. He played with his usual mixture of aggression and caution as he reached his half-century off 39 balls. (Image: AFP)
6. MS Dhoni takes CSK to 175-5
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MS Dhoni hit three consecutive SIXES to end the innings. CSK reached 175/5 in their 20 overs as MSD remained unbeaten at 75 off 46 balls. (Image: AFP)
7. Rajasthan Royals lose three wickets early
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Rajasthan Royals lost the wickets of Ajinkya Rahane, Sanju Samson and Jos Buttler early in the chase of 176. (image: AFP)
8. Imran Tahir breaks the stand
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Rahul Tripathi played a good innings to keep Rajasthan Royals in the match. Tripathi and Steve Smith added 61 runs for the fourth wicket. He fell caught and bowled to Imran Tahir for 39. Tahir then dismissed Smith to put Chennai on top. Krishanappa Gowtham fell to Shardul Thakur as Rajasthan were reduced to 120/6 in 16.1 overs. (Image: PTI)
9. Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer bring Rajasthan close
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Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer then added 40 runs off just 17 balls. It seemed that Rajasthan will get over the line as they needed 12 in last over. However, Stokes (46) got out on the very first ball of the 20th over. (Image: AFP)
10. CSK win by 8 runs
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Dwyane Bravo bowled a great final over as Chennai Super Kings beat Rajasthan Royals by 8 runs in to go top in IPL table. (Image: PTI)
