RR vs CSK 2023: Rajasthan Royals Survive the Dhoni Scare as RR Defeat CSK by 3 Runs: The Rajasthan Royals held off the Chennai Super Kings in a grandstand finish, winning by three runs in the 17th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) played at the Chepauk Stadium in Chennai. Sandeep Sharma’s last-ball yorker made Rajasthan the first team to defend a sub-190 total this season.
This was also MS Dhoni’s 200th match as captain in the IPL, and he tried to lead the Chennai Super Kings to an improbable win, but it was not to be. The game lived up to its expectations, with both teams putting in a solid performance, but the Rajasthan Royals emerged victorious.
The win takes them to the top of the table after four games, and it was a much-needed win after a shaky start to the season.
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The Rajasthan Royals won the toss and elected to bat first, hoping to post a big total and put pressure on the Chennai Super Kings. They started well, with Yashasvi Jaiswal hitting two fours off the left-arm quick Akash Singh in the first over.
However, Tushar Deshpande, Super Kings’ go-to bowler in Deepak Chahar’s absence, prised Jaiswal out in the next over. Royals kept the left-right combination going by promoting Devdutt Padikkal, who sat out the match against Delhi Capitals, to No. 3.
Padikkal and Jos Buttler went after Maheesh Theekshana – who was playing his first game of the season – hitting him for four fours and a six in his first two overs, both inside the powerplay. That got them into the groove for a 77-run second-wicket partnership off just 41 balls, which took Royals to a formidable 88 for 1 in the ninth over.
R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Impact Player Adam Zampa, however, Royals had a spin attack made for Chepauk conditions, and they extracted plenty of purchase even with dew starting to kick in. Ashwin’s dismissal of Rahane turned the tide for Royals. From 78 for 1 in the 10th over, Super Kings slumped to 122 for 6 at the end of the 17th.
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Zampa conceded 14 in the 18th over when Dhoni went after him, but even including that, Royals’ spinners conceded just 95 in 12 overs while taking five wickets, while their Super Kings counterparts went for 84 in 10 while taking three.
The Rajasthan Royals eventually finished their innings with a score of 175/8, with Buttler scoring 52 runs and Padikkal scoring 38. Jadeja, Deshpande, and Akash all picked up two wickets each for the Super Kings.
In response, the Chennai Super Kings lost the prolific Ruturaj Gaikwad in the third over. But Devon Conway and Ajinkya Rahane added 68 in 43 balls to keep the chase on track.
Rahane, who had scored a blazing half-century against Mumbai Indians in his last outing, was quick off the blocks again, pulling Jason Holder through midwicket and slinking down the track to deposit R Ashwin over the long-off boundary while rushing to a 19-ball 31.
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Super Kings needed an improbable 54 off 18 balls with Ravindra Jadeja and Dhoni still new to the crease. Dhoni began the assault with a four and a six in Adam Zampa’s last over before Jadeja took over in a 19-run penultimate over bowled by Jason Holder, hitting him for four and two sixes. This set up a grandstand finish, with Dhoni at the crease and needing 21 runs off 6.
In the end, Sandeep Sharma’s nerveless last over made all the difference, as the Royals held on to win by three runs and claim their fourth victory in as many matches, moving to the top of the IPL table. The Super Kings, on the other hand, will rue the missed opportunity to chase down what was a relatively modest total, as they suffer their second defeat of the season.
Nonetheless, the fans were treated to a nail-biting finish, and both teams can take heart from their performances in what was a highly entertaining encounter at Chepauk.
