New Delhi: Rituraj Gaikwad’s maiden IPL ton went in vain as a spirited battle with Rajasthan, second from the bottom of the points table, clinched a 7-wicket win over table-toppers Chennai Super Kings in Abu Dhabi on Saturday to reach IPL 2021. To keep your hopes alive. playoff
Chasing a colossal 190 for victory, openers Evin Lewis and Yashasvi Jaiswal gave their team a quick start as RR placed 81/1 on the scoreboard – the highest score in the powerplay by any team in IPL 2021. After both the openers were dismissed, Shivam Dube did not allow CSK to gain momentum and completed half-centuries with some classic sixes and fours. He later made a half-century partnership with captain Samson.
Earlier, Rajasthan won the toss and decided to bowl first. 24-year-old Ruturaj Gaikwad (101* off 60 balls) played some sensational shots as he scored his maiden, unbeaten IPL ton in a fine Rajasthan bowling attack and helped his team reach a mammoth score of 189/4. RR. Apart from Gaikwad, star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja played a stormy innings of 32 runs in 15 balls.
After a very cautious start, the CSK batsmen spared not a single Rajasthan bowler and toyed with some remarkable ball-strikes to end their innings on a high. Chennai scored 73 runs in the last five overs.
Meanwhile, Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings has become the first team to reach the playoffs of IPL 2021. The same team that missed out on qualifying for the playoffs last season. Under Dhoni’s mentorship, Chennai has topped the IPL 14 point table.
Rajasthan Royals Playing XI: Evin Lewis, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (c&wk), Shivam Dube, Glenn Phillips, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Akash Singh, Mayank Markande, Chetan Sakariya, Mustafizur Rahman
Chennai Super Kings Playing XI: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (C&W), Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Shardul Thakur, KM Asif, Josh Hazlewood
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