Mumbai: Rajasthan Royals (RR), on Friday, May 20, defeated Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 5 wickets at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. The victory also made sure that Sanju Samson and Co. booked their berth in Qualifier 1 alongside Hardik Pandya’s Gujarat Titans (GT).
The choice to advance Ravi Ashwin’s investment came off handsomely. With two fours and three sixes in 40 runs off 23 balls, he remained undefeated.
The Royals chased down the target with two balls to spare after his hit. Shimron Hetmyer, who returned to the XI after becoming a parent, was released on the cheap. However, Ashwin maintained his composure and led the Royals to victory.
Trent Boult got rid of the dangerous Ruturaj Gaikwad, and the Super Kings didn’t get off to the greatest of beginnings. Moeen Ali, on the other hand, put everything at it from then on, scoring the second-fastest fifty by a CSK hitter in 19 balls.
In the powerplay, the left-hander ensured the Super Kings scored 75 runs. The Yellow Army, on the other hand, utterly lost the plot, scoring only 75 runs at under a run-a-ball in the remaining 14 overs. None of the CSK batsmen could make an impression, with the exception of Moeen Ali, who scored 93 off 57 balls with 13 fours and a six.
Dhoni hit 26 runs off 28 balls, including one four and one six, but he was unable to raise the stakes. Yuzvendra Chahal got rid of him, and his knock came to an end. Narayan Jagadeesan and Ambati Rayudu, who took the place of Shivam Dube in the starting XI, were unable to reach double figures.
Obed McCoy was the RR’s best bowler, taking two key wickets in Moeen Ali and Jagadeesan for 20 runs in four overs. Chahal was also responsible for two deaths.
The Royals also pushed the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) to third place, putting KL Rahul and his teammates in position to win the IPL. The tournament was over for CSK.