Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson won the toss and elected to bat in his team’s 200th game. Trent Boult was out with a niggle, and Adam Zampa took his place. MS Dhoni, leading an unchanged CSK, said he was happy to chase on a Jaipur pitch that had “a decent amount of pace, but the bounce is on the lower side.”
Yashasvi Jaiswal produced a brutal exhibition of power-hitting inside the first six overs. He got going with two cover drives and a clip off the legs off the bowling of Akash Singh before tormenting him again in the third with three fours and a six. Before tonight, Royals scored at 11.66 rpo in the PowerPlay batting first, and Jaiswal gave a glittering example of just why. The elegant southpaw smacked a 26-ball 50, his third this season, as Royals reached 64/0 at the end of the first six.
Ravindra Jadeja provided the breakthrough in the ninth over when Jos Buttler was caught by Shivam Dube while trying to clear long-on. The pressure, though, had been created by off-spinner Maheesh Theekshana, who bowled three overs on the trot, including two in the PowerPlay, and conceded 18. Royals were 86 for 1 in 8.2 overs.
Tushar Deshpande returned into the attack and struck twice in one over to peg Royals back. He first accounted for Rajasthan skipper Sanju Samson, who holed out having mishit an offcutter before removing the in-form Yashasvi Jaiswal for a 43-ball 77, his career-best T20 score. Their dismissals brought Shimron Hetmyer and Dhruv Jurel together. Deshpande took two for seven in his third. Royals were 132 for 3 in 14.
Royals were revived by a belligerent cameo from Dhruv Jurel, who smashed 34 from just 15 deliveries - including two brutal sixes and three fours. Jurel’s 48-run stand with Devdutt Padikkal (27 off 13) helped Rajasthan post 202 for five, the highest team total in Jaipur in the IPL.
Adam Zampa put CSK opener Devon Conway out of his misery when he had the Kiwi batter caught off the last ball of PowerPlay for a 16-ball eight. It was largely a rewarding first six for Rajasthan Royals, with Ruturaj Gaikwad’s four through mid-on and six over square leg being the only highlights for the Men in Yellow. CSK was 42 for 1, its lowest PowerPlay score of the season. Its previous lowest of 45 for 1 also came against Rajasthan.
Ruturaj Gaikwad perished for 47 off 29 to leave Super Kings 69 for 2 in the 10th over, Adam Zampa accounting for him with a big legbreak. With the asking rate climbing, Gaikwad ultimately succumbed to the pressure of needing to hit big. Ravichandran Ashwin then dented CSK’s chances further by removing Ajinkya Rahane and Ambati Rayudu - brought in as Impact Player - in the same over.
Moeen Ali and Shivam Dube went on a boundary-hitting spree, adding 51 off just 25 balls. But Zampa broke the partnership with a wrong’un that Moeen edged to the keeper, leaving CSK with 78 to get from 30 balls.
Shivam Dube’s 29-ball fifty, his third consecutive half-century this season, gave CSK hope of a riposte. But the southpaw had little hope from his teammates. Rajasthan Royals kept chipping away with wickets to deny the Super Kings any momentum, eventually coasting to a convincing win in the franchisee’s 200th IPL game.
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