CSK vs RR Highlights IPL 2023: CSK 172/6, RR 175/8 - Rajasthan Royals beats Chennai Super Kings by 3 runs

Excellent death bowling from Sandeep Sharma and he defended 5 runs in the last ball and MS Dhoni on strike! Kudos as we get to the end of an amazing game!

Jadeja gets a boundary and then smokes Holder for a brilliant six over the fine-leg boundary and it was such a beautiful pick-up shot. Game on as Jadeja lofts Holder for a maximum to keep the crowd on their feet. To batting.

MS Dhoni and his sixes! The skipper connects one and the ball sails over the deep mid-wicket for a maximum. But CSK needs 40 off 12 balls!

Chahal bowls a brilliant over and this has been exceptional bowling from the leg-spinner, Chennai needs 54 in 18 balls and the required rate has skyrocketed to almost 18 rpo. This should be some finish from CSK.

Excellent over from Ashwin as the off-spinner finishes his quota of overs registering figures of 4-0-25-2. Dhoni and Jadeja at the crease with CSK needing 59 in 24 balls.

Well, the Impact Player in Rayudu fails to make an impact as Chahal strikes to remove Rayudu and then dismissed Conway who departed for a well-constructed 50 off 38 deliveries.

Adam Zampa removes Moeen Ali and the Impact Player Ambati Rayudu walks in. Zampa gets a brilliant breakthrough by removing Moeen Ali.

Yuzvendra Chahal is back into the attack and both Conway and Ali will look to shift gears and up the ante. Just five runs and Rajasthan not allowing Chennai to run away with the game.

Ashwin strikes and this time the off-spinner trapped Shivam Dube who was caught at the crease after hitting a boundary. Rajasthan is very much in the game and Ashwin showcased his class by getting a wicket at a very crucial juncture.

Top move from Samson as he gets Kuldeep Sen back into the attack and it worked well with the pacer giving just six singles. Chennai is under some pressure.

A slog sweep that went wrong as Ashwin traps Rahane to give Rajasthan a breakthrough. Rahane and Conway forged a brilliant 68-run stand but Ashwin trapped Rahane plumb.

Rahane continues his fine form and plays a brilliant inside-out shot to get CSK ahead in the run chase. Rajasthan needs wickets to make a comeback in the game.

Conway is in the thick of things as he dispatches Holder for a boundary through the backward square leg region and has been very watchful in his innings. The fifty-run partnership is up between Rahane and Conway and they have taken a hold of the run-chase.

Yuzvendra Chahal into the attack and both Rahane and Conway have decided to take the cautious route with Conway dispatching the spinner to the mid-wicket boundary. Chennai in control of the proceedings.

Rahane is making good use of his fine form as he smokes Ashwin out of the park for a brilliant six and the inside-out shot is so good to watch. Chennai on song in pursuit of 176.

Conway gets a life as Sandeep drops the batsman off Zampa after sneaking a boundary. Nine runs from Zampa’s opening over and it has been brilliant from the spinner.

Rahane gets going with his fine form with a pull to the mid-wicket boundary and then Conway dispatches Holder for a boundary to keep the momentum going for Chennai.

Huge wicket for Rajasthan as Sandeep Sharma removes Ruturaj Gaikwad as the batsman tried to work through the leg side but got cramped by room and ended up getting a top edge as Jaiswal takes a neat catch.

Kuldeep Sen into the attack and he starts well with a brilliant line and length, a touch fuller, coming round the wicket to Conway. No freebies on offer. Just three from the over and that’s a fantastic start.

Ruturaj Gaikwad has started off the run chase in a brilliant fashion and a pull through the backward square leg region gets CSK off the blocks.

A boundary off the first ball and Tushar Deshpande made a remarkable recovery to dismiss Jason Holder as Rajasthan finished with 175/8 and this will be a challenging total for Chennai. They bowled well with Akash Singh, Tushar Deshpande and Ravindra Jadeja sharing six wickets among themselves. Chennai needs a good start to keep its fortress intact.

A six to the long-on fence helps Rajasthan but Akash Singh picked a wicket off the last ball in his spell to finish with figures of 2/40. Rajasthan will look to finish on a high with Hetmyer in good touch.

Hetmyer brings the 150 up for Rajasthan with a six and Deshpande errs at the death. There has been a shift in momentum with Hetmyer picking another boundary, albeit a thick outside edge as the ball races to the third man boundary. Useful runs for Rajasthan.

Moeen Ali strikes as he castles Jos Buttler as the batsman went for a huge across the line only to miss the ball and the ball crashes the off-stump. Dhoni is happy but there is a muted celebration.

Maheesh Theekshana finishes with figures of 4-0-42-0 and has been on the expensive side. Buttler, having hit his half-century is key to Rajasthan’s innings and will look to carry his bat through.

Ashwin’s cameo comes to an end as Akash Singh gets the breakthrough with Magala taking a good catch at the extra cover region. He hurt his finger while taking the catch but Ashwin did play his part with a 30-ball 22 and his two sixes provided the impetus to the innings.

Ashwin breaks away from the shackles and hits a boundary but Chennai has missed out on a run-out opportunity. Chennai has done well to keep Buttler and Ashwin quiet but Rajasthan has the arsenal to kick off at the death.

Jadeja finishes with his quota of four over ending up with brilliant figures of 4-0-21-2 and that’s something Dhoni will be very proud of. Rajasthan is being caged in a spin but Buttler has been fabulous, approaching a well-deserved half-century.

Another over where Chennai triumphs and the boundaries have dried up. The move to send Ashwin up the order might have backfired as Rajasthan’s innings has got no momentum. Magala bowls a tidy over.

Brilliant over from Jadeja as he gives just two runs from his third over and this has been brilliant bowling from the all-rounder.

Sisanda Magala is into the attack and he starts in a decent fashion giving just seven runs. R Ashwin is in the middle along with Jos Buttler.

Two wickets in an over and Ravindra Jadeja has turned the match on its head by dismissing Padikkal and then knocking down Sanju Samson. Moeen Ali dropped Ashwin and denied Jadeja a third wicket in the over as Ali let down a regulation catch.

Wonderful batting from Jos Buttler as he took on the spin of Moeen Ali for two sixes with a pull over the deep mid-wicket and Moeen not getting his length right with Buttler smashing for another six in the same region. Top shots.

Buttler and Padikkal have stabilised the innings with a brilliant 57-run partnership and Dhoni has introduced Jadeja into the attack. The all-rounder starts in a touch expensive fashion giving 11 from his opening over.

Back-to-back boundaries for Padikkal and Rajasthan won’t be too disappointed after being inserted to bat first. Spin will be key on a surface that is dry and has plenty of cracks. Buttler holds the key for Rajasthan.

Moeen Ali handed Padikkal a life by dropping the batsman at first slip and then Buttler smacks Theekshana over long-off for a maximum and then Padikkal drove the spinner through the covers as Buttler ended the over with a brilliant boundary through the square of the wicket.

Akash Singh back into the attack and he has bowled a brilliant over giving just six runs and keeping both the batsmen quiet. Chennai on the charge.

Devdutt Padikkal punishes Theekshana for a couple of boundaries and joins hands with Buttler who has largely been off strike. Chennai gunning for wickets on a wicket that is supporting spin.

Tushar Deshpande removes Jaiswal and that’s a big blow for Rajasthan. The opener was rushed with the pace and failed to hit over mid-off as Shivam Dube took a neat catch to pack off the attacking opener.

Akash Singh starts well but Jaiswal hammers a couple of boundaries one to the third man and then through the mid-wicket to get Rajasthan Royals moving after Chennai opted to bowl first.

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson(w/c), Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jason Holder, Kuldeep Sen, Sandeep Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal

Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ajinkya Rahane, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni(w/c), Sisanda Magala, Maheesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande, Akash Singh

“We will bowl first. It maybe slightly on the slower side, different from the first game. Dew may play a role and it might get better in the second innings. - On his 200th game as CSK captain -It feels good and also I feel the crowd has been fantastic. Also the fact that we started in the old stadium, it was very hot and humid. But now it feels like we’re playing in Switzerland. It’s good to play. We have seen cricket change - how T20 was played at that point of time till now, a lot has changed. The crowd has been fantastic. We have had injury concerns and players were unavailable, but still we have done well.”

CSK wins toss, opts to bowl first

“Lots of cracks, not a lot of grass. The surface is firm enough here but fully expect the spinners and cutters to play a major role in this type of surface. The way the openers approach the game in the powerplay can have an impact on the game. In the middle overs, the spinners will come into play. In the game against LSG, the spinners extracted good turn. It is going to turn and there will be a bit of bounce too. The key will be to bowl in the right lengths, on the 5-6 metres area.”

Wicketkeepers: Jos Buttler (c), Sanju Samson, Devon Conway

Batters: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ajinkya Rahane

All-rounders: Ravindra Jadeja, Moeen Ali, Mitchell Santner (vc)

Bowlers: Yuzvendra Chahal, Trent Boult

Team Composition: CSK 6:5 RR Credits Left: 7.0

Impact Player options: Devdutt Padikkal, Murugan Ashwin, KC Cariappa, Riyan Parag, KM Asif.

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (c) (wk), Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Sandeep Sharma, Murugan Ashwin

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (c) (wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Sandeep Sharma.

Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ajinkya Rahane, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Moeen Ali, M.S. Dhoni (c) (wk), Dwaine Pretorius, Mitchell Santner, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Tushar Deshpande.

Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ajinkya Rahane, Ambati Rayudu, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Moeen Ali, M.S. Dhoni (c) (wk), Dwaine Pretorius, Mitchell Santner, Rajvardhan Hangargekar.

M. S. Dhoni can afford to smile ahead of his 200th IPL match as CSK captain after the seven-wicket demolition of Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium last Saturday, amid fitness setbacks to all-rounders Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali.