Picture : Twitter / IPL
Chennai Super Kings extended the miserable run of the Rajasthan Royals in the season 12 of the IPL with yet another win. This time though the CSK won by four wickets and off the last ball of the match in a gripping thriller at Jaipur.
CSK skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and puts the Royals in to bat. The Royals struggled right through as it has been their story in this IPL . Royal skipper Ajinkya Rahane’s poor run continued as he fell for 14 . Jos Buttler scored 23, Sanju Samason ( 6), Steve Smith ( 15), Rahul Tripathi ( 10) , Ben Stokes ( 28) . It was some lusty hits by Jofra Archer not out 13 and Shreyas Gopal not out 19 towards the end that helped the Royals struggle to reach 151/ 7 in their 20 overs. CSK bowlers did not allow to free their arms.
For CSK the wicket-takers were , Deepak Chahar 2/ 32 (4 overs) , Mitchell Santner 1/ 25 ( 4 overs) , Shardul Thakur 2/ 44 ( 4 overs) , Ravindra Jadeja 2/ 20 ( 4 overs) Imran Tahir 0/ 28 ( 4 overs)
The Chennai Super Kings began their chase on a shaky note . And for the first time were rocked by early wickets. Shane Watson ( 0), Faf Du Plessis ( 7) , Suresh Raina ( 4), kjedar Jadhav ( 1). The side was reeling at a precarious 24 / 4 in 5. 5 overs.
But Ambati Rayudu 57 off 47 balls , two fours and three sixes and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni 58 off 43 balls two fours and three sixes brought the CSK back into the contest.
Needing 18 runs of the final over by Ben Stokes, there was lot of drama as the umprire overlooked clear no ball to Mitchell Santner. It prompted CSK skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni to react angrily and enter the ground and literally blast Gandhe before leg umpire Bruce Oxenford calmed the former India skipper and sent him back.
Santner later on became the hero as he sent the final Ben Stokes delivery into the stands and win the mnatch for CSK by four wickets. CSK reached 155 / 6 in 20 overs. Mitchell Santner was not out 10 and Ravindra Jadeja was not out 9. It was CSK’s sixth win in 7 matches . Royals on the other hand suffered their 5th loss in 6 matches.
