IPL 2018, CSK vs RR: Hits and Misses
The first game in Pune (the new home of Chennai Super Kings) this year was a one-sided affair but much to the delight of the CSK fans, the MS Dhoni-led side comprehensively beat Rajasthan Royals by 64 runs.
After being put into bat by RR, CSK got off to a flying start as they scored 69 in their first six overs. Shane Watson who was dropped twice early on, looked in sublime touch as he smashed the RR bowlers all around the park. Watson scored the second ton of this season as his 106 and contributions from Suresh Raina (46) and Dwayne Bravo (24) took CSK to 204. Shreyas Gopal was the stand out bowler for the visitors as he took 3/20 and applied the brakes in the middle overs.
In reply, RR got off to the worst possible start as they were reduced to 35/3 after six overs. Despite a fighting 45 from Ben Stokes, they never seemed to be in the chase and slumped to their 3rd loss of the season.
This 64-run victory helped CSK move to 6 points and climb to the top of the points table.
#5 Hit: CSK’s new-ball bowlers
Defending a big score can become tricky for the new ball bowlers sometimes. With the field restrictions in place, the chasing team will likely go after the opening bowlers and try to maximize the powerplay. However, today Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur were excellent at the start.
With 204 runs in the bank, Chahar and Thakur were consistent with their line and length. In the first five overs that they bowled in tandem, the duo gave away just 34 runs and knocked over Rajasthan’s top 3. Deepak Chahar bowled four overs on the trot and had figures of 2/30. On the other hand, Shardul Thakur bowled a couple at the start and another one at the back end. He finished with figures of 2/18.
It was the opening burst from these young pacers that set the tone for CSK to defend 204.