IPL 2018, RR vs CSK: Hits and Misses
It was a special occasion at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur as the Rajasthan Royals team sported pink jerseys in collaboration with the Rajasthan government to promote Cancer awareness across the state. On what looked like another slowish pitch, MS Dhoni won the toss and opted to bat first.
CSK lost an in-form Ambati Rayudu in the 3rd over but Suresh Raina and Shane Watson shared an 86-run stand provided a good platform for the ‘Men in Yellow’ to finish with a flourish. But with the pitch slowing down, Sam Billings struggled and MS Dhoni also found it hard to find the boundary. However, Dhoni ran hard between the wickets and scored 33 in 23 deliveries to help CSK get to 176. Ish Sodhi was the most economical bowler for RR while Archer despite being expensive, he picked up a couple of key wickets.
Chasing a stiff target on a slow surface, Jos Buttler gave RR a rocking start. They did lose two wickets but also scored 57 in the first 6 overs. Buttler after the flying start put his head down and batted through to take RR home with just one ball to spare.
Krishnappa Gowtham came in towards the end and scored a 4-ball 13 which proved to be an important knock as it took the pressure off Buttler. But it was the England wicket-keeper who finished things off in the final over.
#5 Miss: Ambati Rayudu
Ambati Rayudu has been one of the most consistent players in this IPL. In fact, he has never been dismissed in the single-digits in this season. However, in the last couple of games, he’s not been able to convert his starts. He’s scored 21 and 32 in his last two innings and has failed to kick on after getting set.
For the second consecutive game, Rayudu opened the batting alongside Shane Watson. He struck a couple of good-looking boundaries. He lofted one over extra cover off Krishnappa Gowtham before hitting one straight down the ground.
The 32-year-old Hyderabad batsman was using his feet well and was looking set for another big knock. But he dragged a short and wide delivery off Jofra Archer back onto his stumps. Rayudu was out for 12 and CSK were 19/1.