Rajasthan Royals Beat 202 for 5 (Jaiswal 77, Jurel 34, Deshpande 2-42) Chennai super kings 170 for 6 (Dube 52, Gaikwad 47, Zampa 3-22, Ashwin 2-35) by 32 runs
After losing their previous two matches, Rajasthan Royals not only returned to winning ways but also to the top of the IPL points table with a thumping 32-point victory over Chennai Super Kings.
Jaiswal is leading the way for Royals
Even if it was an away game for Super Kings they seemed to have more supporters in the stands than Royals. However, it didn’t have any effect on Jaiswal and Jos Buttler, as they gave Royals another flying start. Jaiswal kicked things off by hitting Akash Singh for two fours on the first two balls of the match followed by another in the over. He was even tougher in the next over, with three fours and a six. In between, Buttler hit Tushar Deshpande for two fours.
As sailors went for many, MS Dhoni turned to flip and Maheesh Theekshana threw a three-pointer over. Buttler, however, grabbed the spinner for two fours—both times hitting length balls off the back foot over his head—in the sixth over to take Royals to 64 without a loss.
Ravindra Jadeja broke the opening stand with Buttler’s wicket but Jaiswal kept going. Coming into this match, Jaiswal had scored 81 from 70 in the middle overs. Tonight there was no delay; he went 37 of 22 after field restrictions were lifted.
Jurel and Padikkal pick it up again after a short silence
Deshpande knocked out Sanju Samson and Jaiswal in the 14th over to slow down the scoring pace. From overs 14 to 17, Royals managed just 28 runs, losing three wickets along the way. It was starting to look like Super Kings would limit them under 200, but Jurel and Padikkal, coming in at number 6, threw their bats around. They didn’t always find the middle, but the runs came thick and fast. Super Kings shoddy fielding also helped Royals and visibly angered Dhoni on more than one occasion as they plundered 56 in the last four overs.
Zampa, Ashwin keep Super Kings trailing
With Trent Boult picking up a minus, Zampa had a chance. And the legspinner impressed in his very first over. Bowling the last over of the power play, he had Devon Conway hit one halfway.
Ruturaj Gaikwad tried to make up for Super Kings slow start. He had advanced to 47 off 28 balls when he tried to attack Zampa but was caught long-on. R Ashwin dragged Super Kings further back in the next over, the 11th of the innings, sending off Ajinkya Rahane and Ambati Rayudu.
Dube, Moeen fights back
With 130 needed from nine overs, Dube and Moeen threatened to fight back. The pair hit four sixes and a four in the next three overs, necessitating the comparison to 90 from the last five. Samson turned to Zampa again and he did not disappoint his captain. Dube launched it into the stands, and Moeen also picked up a boundary, but with his fifth ball from the over, Zampa let Moeen slide one to Samson.
However, Dube continued the fight. He hit Jason Holder for a six and two fours in the 17th over. In the next, Jadeja took Sandeep Sharma for two fours, but scoring 46 in the last two overs was too much of a stretch.
Hemant Brar is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo