Whoof... that was some game of Twenty20 cricket. A record 33 sixes were hit tonight and in the end, Rajasthan Royals came out on top. Well after posting 216, you'd imagine Royals were the favourites but after running through that CSK top-order in a jiffy, Steve Smith and Co. sealed the game in their favour. Bizarre tactics from the CSK middle-order, which lacked intent and struggled to get going. MS Dhoni batted lower down the order and gave an exhibition of his power-hitting with a slew of sixes in the final over, only it was all too little too late. Kudos to Royals. That would be all from our side. Good night.
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Jaddu is the new man in. Tom Curran to bowl the final over. MS and Jaddu collect a single each off the first two balls. Mathematically out of CSK's hands, this match. A change of bats for MS and he picks up a six! Too little too late you'd say. Make that two sixes in two. A hat-trick of sixes... why leave it so late when you can bat like that? Beautiful striking but too late. An IPL record - 33 sixes in a game. A single to end the over ... and that's a big win for Royals. Rajasthan Royals won by 16 runs.
He is caught behind off the very next ball. That surely is curtains on CSK's run chase. Chennai Super Kings need 38 runs in 6 balls.
Tom Curran [1.0-0-16-0] is back into the attack. Dhoni hits it square of the wicket for a single. Du Plessis turning it on here - hits this one over long-off for six. Excellent comeback from Curran - nails the yorker - no run. 10 runs off that over. Faf retains strike. Chennai Super Kings need 48 runs in 12 balls. CSK 169/5 after 18 Overs.
Jaydev Unadkat [3.0-0-23-0] is back into the attack. This is surely beyond MS, isn't it? He takes a single to get Faf back on strike, and the South African batsman launches this slower one over long-on for six. Another slower ball, sits up nicely for Faf, who pulls it over square leg for another six. 50 up for Faf as he hammers this down the ground for another maximum. CSK 159/5 after 17 Overs. Chennai Super Kings need 58 runs in 18 balls.
Jofra Archer [2.0-0-9-0] is back into the attack. A wide ball first up. Dot next ball. Faf backs away and slaps it through covers for four. A single gets MS on strike. Archer keeps MS down to just one off three balls. Dhoni will keep strike next over. CSK 138/5 after 16 Overs.
SIX! Du Plessis smacks this over long-on for six. Tewatia, the bowler at the receiving end. In the slot again, Faf goes big over long-on, again. A single to end the over. 16 off that over. CSK 131/5 after 15 Overs. Chennai Super Kings needs 86 runs in 30 balls.
Tom Curran [1.0-0-16-0] is back into the attack. KP ripping into CSK's "lack of intent". Both batsmen are digging themselves into a hole here. Du Plessis is caught off a free-hit! So, no wicket for RR but Smith wouldn't mind that because his team is in the box seat. GONE! This time, Jadhav tries an almighty swing but is caught behind. MS Dhoni, right handed bat, comes to the crease. Seven from the over. CSK 115/5 after 14 Overs.
Jaydev Unadkat [2.0-0-16-0] is back into the attack. Faf has been relatively quiet so far - he needs to show some intent here, does Faf. Every time they settle for a single or a brace, the pressure mounts on CSK. Seven runs off the over. RR well and truly in front here. CSK 108/4 after 13 Overs. Chennai Super Kings need 109 runs in 42 balls. Mindboggling tactics from CSK. A tall total, but no intent from the batsmen. None whatsoever. And they've two of the most dangerous finishers waiting in the ranks - Dhoni and Jaeja! The game's slipping away from CSK's hands.
Chennai Super Kings need 131 runs in 54 balls. Kedar welcomes Gopal into the attack with a ramrod- straight drive for four. A half volley which has been duly punished. Make that two in two - another one for Kedar, this time square of the wicket. A hattrick of boundaries as Kedar goes inside out over cover for four. Good comeback from the Karnataka lad. Three singles off the last balls of his spell. 15 from that over. CSK 101/4 after 12 Overs.
Faf safely negotiates the hat-trick ball from Tewatia, takes a single and gets Kedar back on strike. Something's got to give here. CSK need some big overs. Steve Smith wouldn't mind the ones and twos, not one bit. Neither Faf nor Kedar has been able to break free thus far. Should Jaddu or MS have come up the order? Four singles from that over. All the ones and the dots now piling the pressure on CSK. CSK 86/4 after 11 Overs.
Kedar Jadhav, right handed bat, comes to the crease. Gopal continues. CSK still have MS and Jaddu waiting in the ranks. But they really need a move on right now - Gopal, meanwhile, keeping the batsmen down to just singles - five of those from that over. CSK 82/4 after 10 Overs.
Rahul Tewatia, right-arm leg break, continues. It's raining in sixes in Sharjah ... Sam Curran joins the list, steps out and launches it over long-on for six. CSK need more of these. Once again - this time, straight over the bowler's head for another six. GONE! Tewatia has his revenge - Sam is out stumped next ball as Chennai slips further. Chennai Super Kings need 140 runs in 67 balls. Debutant Ruturaj Gaikwad comes to the crease. He is out stumped! Jeez, a nightmare of a debut - nothing shot from Gaikwad and he has bagged a first ball duck. 13 runs and two wickets from that over. CSK 77/4 after 9 Overs.
Shreyas Gopal [1.0-0-11-0] is back into the attack. Shreyas Gopal gets a wicket! Vijay has holed out and leg-spinners doing the trick for RR. Sam Curran has been promoted up the order, yet again. Gopal is slightly short this time around and Sam pulls it away for four. Seven runs and a wicket from it in the end. CSK 64/2 after 8 Overs. Chennai Super Kings need 153 runs in 72 balls.
Rahul Tewatia, right-arm leg break, comes into the attack. For CSK to entertain hopes of chasing down such a big total, both batters need to fire on all cylinders. How long before Vijay breaks free or will he be the second fiddle to Watson here. Plenty of dew out there... GONE! Commentator's jinx - Watson misreads the length, wasn't short enough for a pull but Watto goes for it, inside edge onto the stumps. Faf du Plessis is in at 3. Brilliant from Tewatia: Four runs and a wicket. CSK 57/1 after 7 Overs.
Tom Curran, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack. A slower ball to start things off. Play and a miss from Vijay. A leg-bye next ball as Vijay hares to the other end, single. Watto is in the mood tonight - clobbers two back-to-back sixes off Tom. RR will have plenty to ponder if Watson gets going tonight. Again pace, again width from Tom and Watson accepts the freebie and collects four. Slower ball to end the over. No run. 17 from it. CSK 53/0 after 6 Overs.
First sign of spin in the chase. Shreyas Gopal, right-arm leg break, comes into the attack in the Powerplay. He goes short and Vijay pulls it away for four. Good comeback from Gopal after being hit for a four first ball. But he switches to the short length again, this time it's Watson who pulls it away for six. Expensive over. CSK 36/0 after 5 Overs. Chennai Super Kings need 181 runs in 90 balls.
Good bowling from the Royals so far. Plenty of slower balls from both Unadkat and Jofra - the latter had three in his first over. He will continue now. SHOT! Beautiful. Watson flicks it over deep square leg for six - leg-cutter from Archer and Watto gets stuck into it. Archer ramping up the pace - north of 140s again. Good comeback from Jofra, he has hit the right lengths since being taken for six off the first ball. A six and five dots off that over. CSK 25/0 after 4 Overs
Unadkat continues. Vijay flicks one down to the fine leg for a four and follows it up with a straight hit over mid-off for another four. Unadkat makes a good comeback, pulls his length a touch shorter. 11 from the over. CSK 19/0 after 3 Overs.
Archer is into the attack - what's he got up his sleeve with the ball. He had got stuck into Ngidi not long back. He has a slip for Vijay. Archer is mixing his pace here - after a slow start to the over, he cranks it up with a 143.8kph delivery. Vijay and Watson happy with the singles for now. Three runs from the over. CSK 8/0 after 2 Overs.
Shane Watson and Murali Vijay have a tall task at hand. J Unadkat with the new ball. A cautious start from the two batters but one disadvantage for CSK is they have a humongous total in front of them - they can't afford to take too long to get their eyes in. Good over from JD. Five from it. CSK 5/0 after 1 Over.
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We have the first 200-plus total of IPL 2020. Samson and Smith got the Royals off to a flying start before Archer provided the final flourish, collecting 27 off just eight balls including four sixes. Mad power-hitting on display. CSK have the firepower to do it but they need a solid start against a probing Rajasthan attack. CSK need 217 to win.
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Lungi Ngidi [3.0-0-26-1] to finish off the innings. Archer on strike. Whoa. That's a brilliant shot from Archer - a six straight down the ground. The next one's better and bigger! Great connection as he heaves it over square-leg for six. Make that a hat-trick. Royals have soared past 200! And what's worse? It is a no-ball. A free hit for Archer. Four in four. Madness in Sharjah. Archer is taking Ngidi to the cleaners. And it's yet another no-ball! All the good work that CSK did in the middle overs has come undone. Free hit stays as Ngidi bowls a wide! Three singles off the last three balls. 30 came off it. RR finishes on 216/7.
Sam to Tom. The Curran brothers in action. GONE! Smith is out trying to accelerate ... caught near the boundary. Archer joins Tom but the latter will be on strike. He will collect four off his brother, a good delivery from Sam but it races away to the third-man fence for four. We may have a run-out! A direct hit from Jaddu at long-on may have caught Archer short .... scratch that, he is safe. Meanwhile, this has been an excellent fightback from CSK after being pummelled up front by Samson and Smith. Nine from that over. RR 186/7 after 19 Overs.
Tom Curran, right handed bat, comes to the crease. Chahar is back into the attack. Very good over from Chahar so far. No big hits conceded yet. Chahar snaps up Tom ; he is out caught behind. All sorts of confusion... He has been called back. The thid-umpire decided to take a closer look.. Tom hasn't edged that and it is not a clean take from MS either. Drama. Four from the over. RR 177/6 after 18 Overs.
Sam Curran [2.0-0-17-0] is back into the attack. GONE! Tewatia has been adjudged lbw but he will review it. That looked plumb and it is plumb. The decision stays. Tewatia departs. Riyan Parag, right handed bat, comes to the crease. Four more to RR as Riyan Parag gets a boundary to third-man. Short lived joy as Curran has Riyan caught behind next ball. Seven runs and a wicket from that over. R R 173/6 after 17 Overs.
Lungi Ngidi, right-arm fast, comes back into the attack. Tewatia takes a single and gets his captain back on strike. GENIUS! Steve Smith gets innovative and paddles it over short fine-leg for four more. Brilliant. Tewatia now, smashes this over extra-cover for four more. RR have been relentless in their attack thus far. Super stuff. 12 off that over. RR 166/4 after 16 Overs.
GONE! Stop the press: Chawla has a wicket. Uthappa holes out to Faf, trying to up the ante. Rahul Tewatia, left handed bat, comes to the crease. Five runs and a wicket from Chawla's final over. Expensive figures for the leggie - Chawla: 4-0-55-1. RR 154/4 after 15 Overs.
Ravindra Jadeja [3.0-0-28-0] is back into the attack. He will bowl out. Smith hits a six over long-off. Sam Curran dropped what it looked like a tough chance near the ropes - what's worse, the ball has sailed over the ropes. 12 off the over. Jadeja - 4-0-40-0. RR 149/3 after 14 Overs.
Robin Uthappa, right handed bat, comes to the crease. Piyush Chawla [2.0-0-47-0] is back into the attack. How many more can RR get? Will we see the first 200 of IPL 2020 tonight? Amid all the big-hitting from Samson, Smith has gone past his half-century! Top knock from the skipper. Just three runs off that Chawla over. RR 137/3 after 13 Overs.
Lungi Ngidi, right-arm fast, comes back into the attack. Overthrow from Jadeja and CSK concede a needless single. But relief at last... Samson has holed out, finally. Ngidi gets the breakthrough and a much-needed one at that. He falls for 74 off just 32! David Miller is the new man in. He is run out without scoring a single run. Successful over for CSK - Five runs and two wickets. Should restore some parity. RR 134/3 after 12 Overs.
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SIX! It's a six hitting exhibition in Sharjah - Samson, again, hammers this Jadeja delivery over long-off for six. Jaddu tossing it up on off, Samson accepts the gift and nonchalantly lifts it for six. 10 runs from that over - a good one really given how the others have been tonked around the park. RR 129/1 after 11 Overs.
SIX! Smith's turn to hit a few biggies - deposits this over the long-on fence for six. Smith, then, gets Samson back on strike. The keeper-batsman adds to his tally of sixes with a straight six - 100 partnership up in no time and Chawla feeling the heat. Smith again - plays a delectable cut shot for four... to square third man. 19 off this over. RR 119/1 after 10 Overs.
Ravindra Jadeja, Left arm orthodox, continues. Samson takes a single and gets off strike. A loud lbw shout against Smith. MS Dhoni decides against reviewing it. The replays show the ball hitting the stumps! Smith was a goner had CSK reviewed that. Smith's single off the last ball brings up team's 100. RR 100/1 after 9 Overs.
Piyush Chawla, right-arm leg break, comes into the attack. Hello there! Samson turning it on - greets Chawla with two back-to-back sixes. A single off the third takes him to 50 off just 19! Another six - he is in the mood tonight, is Samson as he sends this straight down the ground for six. The Kerala batsman is tearing the Chennai bowling into shreds. A single to end the over. 21 from it! Hang on, Chawla has to bowl the final ball again - he has overstepped. Smith punishes the free hit - smacks it over sweeper cover for six! 28 from that over. RR 96/1 after 8 Overs.
Ravindra Jadeja, Left arm orthodox, comes into the attack. Smith plays a wristy flick to deep mid-wicket for a single. Sanju Samson is in the house. Two back-to-back sixes off Jaddu and Royals are waltzing at the moment. 14 runs off the over. RR 68/1 after 7 Overs.
Deepak Chahar [2.0-0-14-1] is back into the attack. A couple of singles to start the over before Samson clears the deep mid-wicket fence with finesse - what a shot that. Cracking hit for six. Stayed on the front foot and hammers it. Beautiful shot. Chahar is bowling his third over of the Powerplay. FOUR! Runs coming thick and fast now - Chahar strays on the pads and Smith has flicked that for four. 14 off the over. RR 54/1 after 6 Overs.
Sam Curran [1.0-0-3-0] is back into the attack. A single to Smith first ball. Samson makes room and throws his hands at the next delivery - play and a miss. FOUR! Samson collects a boundary off the next ball - short of length and some extra bounce, Samson helps it past the vacant slip cordon for four. He follows it up with a maximum. Short of the length, on the hips and Samson nails the pull. 14 off the over. RR 40/1 after 5 Overs.
Lungi Ngidi, right-arm fast, comes into the attack. SHOT ! Ngidi bowls a loosener and Smith says, "Thank you very much" as he sends it over backward square-leg for six. Effortless striking from the Aussie. Good comeback from the Protean - just a single off the next four balls. A couple to end the over. Nine runs from it. RR 26/1 after 4 Overs.
GONE! WICKET! Jaiswal perishes. Chahar has his first wicket. He holes out after collecting a boundary off the first ball. Sanju Samson is in at No. 3. Smith punishes the short ball - pulls it away to backward square-leg for four. Nailed it. Good over for Rajasthan. 10 runs from it. RR 17/1 after 3 Overs.
Sam Curran, left-arm fast medium, comes into the attack. No signs of movement in the air or bounce off the wicket. Slow start for the Royals. There was a slip in place. Third man was also inside the ring at the start of the over - but the slip comes off after the first three balls. Good start from the Super Kings. Three from it. RR 7/0 after 2 Overs.
Yashasvi Jaiswal will open the innings with Steve Smith. Deepak Chahar with the new ball for CSK. Jaiswal to take strike. Big moment for the young Mumbai lad - opening the innings with arguably the best batsman in world cricket ....how will he fare? Chahar starts off with a dot. A slip in place for Jaiswal. The southpaw gets off the mark with a single to third-man. Chahar strays on the pads and Smith flicks it for a couple. Four runs off it. RR 4/0 after 1 Over.
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TOSS UPDATE: Dhoni wins toss and Chennai will bowl first.
Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Murali Vijay, Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Ruturaj Gaikwad, MS Dhoni(w/c), Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Deepak Chahar, Piyush Chawla, Lungi Ngidi
Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Robin Uthappa, Sanju Samson(w), Steven Smith(c), David Miller, Riyan Parag, Shreyas Gopal, Tom Curran, Rahul Tewatia, Jofra Archer, Jaydev Unadkat
Steve Smith: " Myself, Tom Curran, Archer and Miller are our four overseas players. I have been involved with the Royals since 2014, it has been a while apart from a couple of years. I have heard about him in the last few weeks."
MS Dhoni : 'We will bowl first. Dew is a factor. I feel the pitch will be different from the other two venues. I don't know how hard the surface will be. We have one change. Rayudu is not 100 percent. Adaptability is the key in the shortest format. We have to quickly understand the wicket."
PITCH REPORT: "There was grass at Abu Dhabi and Dubai. There is no grass on this wicket. I can't predict any sideways movement. Once you get a pace of the wicket, you can score quickly. It is a very small ground compared to the ones in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. So, win the toss and chase," says Kevin Pietersen.
BUILD-UP
The first-ever IPL champion -- Rajasthan Royals (RR) -- will begin its new campaign against three-time winner Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Tuesday. Here is the match preview - READ
M.S. Dhoni has enjoyed phenomenal success with CSK, both as a batsman and skipper. Here are Dhoni's top five moments with the Men in Yellow - READ
The three-time champion has been the epitome of ruthless efficiency, reaching the final four — the first target for all teams — in every edition it has been a part of. Here's Dipak Ragav's team preview for CSK - READ
This is a season of new beginnings for the Rajasthan Royals. The side has a new head coach in Andrew McDonald, a new captain in Steve Smith, and a new “home” in the United Arab Emirates. Here's Shayan Acharya's team preview for RR - READ
Jos Buttler will miss Rajasthan Royals’ opening Indian Premier League fixture against Chennai Super Kings on Tuesday as he will be under quarantine with his family in Dubai - READ
Here's how the teams have fared against each other
SQUADS:
Rajasthan Royals: Steve Smith (Captain), Jos Buttler (Wicketkeeper), Sanju Samson (Wicketkeeper), Jofra Archer, Ben Stokes, Robin Uthappa, David Miller, Ankit Rajpoot, Mahipal Lomror, Manan Vohra, Riyan Parag, Mayank Markande, Shreyas Gopal, Varun Aaron, Jaydev Unadkat, Kartik Tyagi, Akash Singh, Oshane Thomas, Andrew Tye, Rahul Tewatia, Shashank Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Anirudha Joshi, Tom Curran, Anuj Rawat.
Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni (Captain & Wicketkeeper), Imran Tahir, Deepak Chahar, Faf du Plessis, Shardul Thakur, Mitchell Santner, Dwayne Bravo, Josh Hazlewood, Kedar Jadhav, Karn Sharma, Piyush Chawla, Ambati Rayudu, Lungi Ngidi, Sam Curran, Monu Kumar, Shane Watson, Sai Kishore, Narayan Jagadeesan (Wicketkeeper), Ruturaj Gaikwad, KM Asif, Ravindra Jadeja, Murali Vijay.
MATCH DETAILS
Game No. 4: Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings.
Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
Date: September 22, Tuesday.
Time: 7:30 PM IST.
The match will be broadcast on the Star Sports network in India on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 2 and Star Sports 1 Hindi. It will be live streamed on Star’s video on demand platform Disney+Hotstar.
Hello and welcome to Sportstar's live coverage of the IPL 2020 match between the Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings in Sharjah.
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