On Wednesday, April 12, the Rajasthan Royals faced off against the Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, in what turned out to be a nail-biting match. Padikkal and Buttler shine The Royals were off to a rocky start as Jaiswal departed early in the innings. However, the return of Padikkal to the XI provided some much-needed momentum as he played some impressive strokes. Jos Buttler then joined in and targeted the spinners, particularly Theekshana, hitting him for 27 runs in two powerplay overs. After the powerplay, Buttler took on Moeen Ali, his England teammate, smashing him for three sixes in one over. Spin strangle puts the brakes on It was always going to be a battle of the spinners, and when Jadeja picked up Padikkal and Samson in the same over, it was clear that the spin strangle had begun. Ashwin joined the attack and while he struggled to hit boundaries, he did manage to smash Akash Singh for two sixes before being caught at mid-off in the same over. Buttler, however, continued to hold the fort, threatening to go berserk in the final overs. Moeen redeems himself; Hetmyer adds firepower Ali, who had been hammered by Buttler earlier, redeemed himself by bowling Buttler out before he could cut loose in the death overs. Wickets kept falling at the other end, slowing down the scoring rate, but Shimron Hetmyer added some firepower with some big hits, taking the Royals to 175-8. Early wicket but CSK maintains composure Chasing 176, CSK lost Gaikwad early, but the experienced Rahane and Conway laid a solid foundation, keeping the required run rate at bay while scoring at 7.5 rpo in the powerplay. However, they struggled to hit boundaries regularly, and the required rate kept climbing. Spin-triggered collapse leaves CSK reeling Ashwin trapped Rahane in front, trying to sweep, triggering a dramatic collapse. Conway and Dube were less than fluent at the crease as the required rate went above 10 rpo in the 12th over. The next three overs saw a middle-order collapse as the Royals spinners got rid of Rahane, Dube, Moeen, Rayudu, and Conway, leaving CSK at 5-35. The pressure was on, but this is where MS Dhoni thrives. Dhoni and Jadeja mount a comeback CSK needed 63 off 30, but the spinners were all over them. It was Dhoni’s 200th game as the franchise’s skipper, and he and Jadeja played out the spinners well, getting it down to 40 off the last two overs. Jadeja then targeted Jason Holder and hit two sixes and a four, setting up a classic Dhoni finish in the final over. Dhoni scare but Sharma holds his nerve With 21 runs required off the final over, Sandeep Sharma was called up to face Dhoni. Two wides added to the pressure, and Dhoni hit two successive sixes, bringing it down to 7 off 3. Sharma then regathered himself and bowled three perfect yorkers while changing his angle, closing out the game and denying the home crowd a fairy-tale finish. The Royals secured their spot at the top of the table, but not before experiencing a last-over Dhoni scare. What’s next for both teams? CSK will face the Royal Challengers Bangalore on Monday, April 17, while the Rajasthan Royals will travel to face the defending champions Gujarat Titans on Sunday, April 16. The Royals will hope to continue their winning streak and retain their spot at the top of the table.
