Indian Premier League 2023: Rajasthan Royals reach top spot by 3 runs

CHENNAI: Rajasthan Royals reached the top spot in points table of Indian Premier League 2023 with third win from four matches as they beat Chennai Super Kings by 3 runs here on Wednesday.

Chasing 176 runs to win, CSK managed 172 runs in allotted overs losing 6 wickets. Opener Devon Conway hit 50 runs from 38 balls while Ajinkya Rahane added 31 off 19 balls. MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja put on healthy partnership. They needed 21 runs from the final over which was bowled by Sandeep Sharma. Dhoni hit two sixes. He needed another one in the final ball, but could score just a single.

Earlier, Jos Buttler struck a 36-ball 52 but Rajasthan Royals lost their way against a Ravindra Jadeja-led disciplined bowling performance by Chennai Super Kings to get restricted for a below-par 175/8 in 20 overs.

Buttler and Devdutt Padikkal (38) helped Rajasthan Royals blast 57/1 in Power-play and take them to 87/1 in ninth over but Jadeja claimed two wickets -- getting Padikkal and Rajasthan skipper Sanju Samson (0) in quick succession on a pitch that offered turn and bounce as CSK fought back to take control of the match. Chennai's rookie pacer Akash Singh, who claimed his first two wickets in IPL for 40 runs and Tushar Deshpande bagged 2-37 as the hosts managed to restrict the once-galloping Royals.

Asked to bat first by Dhoni in his 200th match as CSK skipper, the Rajasthan Royals innings developed in a stutter, smash, stutter mode as they lost Yashasvi Jaiswal (10) early with 11 runs on the board. They raced to 57/1 at the end of the Power-play and looked like cruising towards a huge total with Buttler and Padikkal going great guns.

Buttler completed his half-century off 33 balls but was out soon, sent packing his teammate Moeen Ali for 52 off 36 balls, hitting one four and three sixes.

Simron Hetmyer hammered an 18-ball unbeaten 30, hitting two fours and two sixes but the quick dismissals of Dhruv Jurel (4) and Jason Holder (0) meant, Rajasthan Royals managed to reach a below-par score.

Brief scores: Rajasthan Royals 175/8 in 20 overs (Jos Buttler 52, Devdutt Padikkal 38, R Ashwin 30, Shimron Hetmyer 30 not out; Ravindra Jadeja 2-21, Tushar Deshpande 2-37, Akash Singh 2-40) beat Chennai Super Kings 172/6 in 20 overs (Devon Conway 50, Ajinkya Rahane 31, MS Dhoni 32no, Ravindra Jadeja 25no, R Ashwin 2/25, Y Chahal 2/27).

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