Batting quartet secures winning end to RR's IPL 2025

Suryavanshi's fifty gave RR a sweet end © Sportzpics
The batting quartet of Vaibhav Suryavanshi (57 off 33), Sanju Samson (41 off 31), Yashasvi Jaiswal (36 off 19) and Dhruv Jurel (31* off 12) paved the way for a winning end to Rajasthan Royals' otherwise disappointing season as they chased down CSK's 187/8 with 17 balls and six wickets to spare. CSK had a couple of big batting contributions in Ayush Mhatre (43 off 20) and Dewald Brevis (42 off 25) but their insipid finishing and the lack of potency with the ball cost them once again.

RR ended their campaign in ninth spot with eight points, but haven't avoided the possibility of finishing with the wooden spoon yet as CSK - at 10th spot with 6 points - have another game to go.

Where the game was won:

In the death overs of the first innings. Despite losing wickets, CSK did well to head into the death overs with a run rate close to 10-an-over but lost their way in the end. MS Dhoni alluded to it in the aftermath of the defeat as the loss of wickets through the PowerPlay and middle-overs cost them dearly.

The death-overs difference

Parameters CSK RR
Score 41/2 38/1
Scoring-rate 8.2 17.53
4s/6s 1/2 3/2

PowerPlay: CSK lose three in fast start

Phase score - 68/3 [RR: 11.34, 4s/6s: 11/2]

Ayush Mhatre continued to be CSK's spark in a season of batting doom as he went about taking on the bowlers even as Rajasthan Royals made two big dents in the second over via Yudhvir Singh Charak. The fast bowler, playing in place of Fazalhaq Farooqi, had Devon Conway caught at mid-off and Urvil Patel at mid-on in the space of three deliveries. R Ashwin walked out at No.4 and signalled his intentions when he hit Charak for a four and six off consecutive deliveries. Mhatre added to it with a four and six of his own to cap off a 24-run fourth over. Mhatre hit five more fours in the next two overs - off Kwena Maphaka and Tushar Deshpande - before miscuing one that the South African caught well at long-on. Mhatre's superlative effort - 43 off 20, pushed CSK to their best PowerPlay total of the season.

Middle-overs: Brewis lights up another CSK innings

Phase score - 78/3 [RR: 8.67, 4s/6s: 4/4]

RR got in two good overs at the start of the middle-overs dismissing Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. But Dewald Brevis joined forces with Shivam Dube for a blazing rebuild that saw them punish the likes of Charak, Maphaka, Riyan Parag and Akash Madhwal to gallop ahead at more than 10-an-over. Wanindu Hasaranga arrived to put a lid on the fireworks and managed it with a five-run 13th over. Madhwal then continued to nail his yorkers and got one to knock back Brewis's stumps, sending the South African back for a 25-ball 42.

Death-overs: RR pull back at the death

Phase score - 41/2 [RR: 8.20, 4s/6s: 1/2]

Shivam Dube and MS Dhoni were primed to push CSK to a 200-plus total as they started out by taking on Parag for 13 runs in the 16th over and then smashing 11 off Hasaranga in the 17th. Madhwal and Deshpande then combined for three exceptional overs at the death where CSK managed to hit only one four, which too was a result of sloppy fielding from Parag. Madhwal shrugged off his last two outings where he conceded 50 and 48 to finish with figures of 3-29. Two of those three wickets came in the 20th over - first, Dube hit a low full-toss to Yashasvi Jaiswal at long-on and then Dhoni fell trying to paddle through fine leg, only for Deshpande to hold onto a tough catch at short fine. Deshpande himself was excellent in the 19th over, giving away six singles to end with 1-33 in 4 overs.

Rajasthan Royals

PowerPlay: Jaiswal maximises PP again

Phase score - 56/1 [RR: 9.34, 4s/6s: 8/2]

Jaiswal took early charge in chase, starting off with a six against Anshul Kamboj in the second over and then hammering three fours and a six off Khaleel Ahmed in the third. Vaibhav Suryavanshi camped at the other end watching his opening partner blaze away before falling for a 19-ball 36 to Kamboj in the fourth over. Sanju Samson and Suryavanshi took 11 off Khaleel's third over in the PowerPlay to push RR past the 50-run mark.

Middle-overs: Suryavanshi, Samson take over; Ashwin hits back

Phase score - 94/2 [RR: 10.40, 4s/6s: 5/7]

The hope that Jaiswal's wicket would slow RR down was quashed early. Samson sent a flighted ball from Ashwin over long-on for a six and Suryavanshi then laid into Noor Ahmad. The 14-year-old sized up the left-arm spinner well, to tonk him for a six over deep square leg and then follow it up with two fours through cover in a 17-run over. Matheesha Pathirana bowled a tight first over but Samson and Suryavanshi overcame that by collecting 25 off the next two - from Ashwin and Jadeja. Suryavanshi carted another six off Noor in the 12th over to get to a 27-ball fifty. Samson took runs off Pathirana too to put his team in a fairly comfortable position in the chase, until Ashwin rattled his team with a double-wicket over. He first had Samson caught at long on and then Suryavanshi at short third to give CSK a shot at a late comeback. Dhruv Jurel sullied that on arrival, hitting Jadeja for a six and a four to take RR to 150/3 in 15 overs.


Death overs: Jurel wraps up

Phase score - 38/1 [RR: 17.53, 4s/6s: 3/2]

Noor dismissed Parag but conceded 14 - including five off wides - in the 16th over as the game continued to slip away from CSK's grasp. Jurel and Shimron Hetmyer then put RR within touching distance of the win in the very next over as they each hit a six and Hetmyer also smashed a four in an 18-run over. Jurel then sealed the victory with a six off Pathirana on the first ball of the 18th over.

Brief Scores: Chennai Super Kings 187/8 in 20 overs (Ayush Mhatre 43, Dewald Brevis 42, Shivam Dube 39; Akash Madhwal 3-29, Yudhvir Singh Charak 3-47) lost to Rajasthan Royals 188/4 in 17.1 overs (Vaibhav Suryavanshi 57, Sanju Samson 41, Yashasvi Jaiswal 36, Dhruv Jurel 31*) by 6 wickets

What next?

CSK head to Ahmedabad where they face GT in the afternoon game on May 25. RR are done for the season