Chennai Super Kings outplayed Rajasthan Royals in all departments to secure the second spot in the points table of the Indian Premier League 2021 on Monday night.
The Chennai batsmen did justice to the batting paradise, known as the Wankhede Stadium by posting 188/9 batting first.
None of the batsmen crossed even the 35-run mark, but somehow CSK reached a competitive total with everyone playing handy cameos.
Faf du Plessis looked in dream form in his 17-ball 33, but one hit too many got him walking back to the pavilion in a jiffy.
While the former South African skipper has shown glimpses of his peak form in all three games, his opening partner Ruturaj Gaikwad has failed miserably this year.
Both sides were in high spirits, on the back of great victories, but RR’s batting let them down far ahead of the death overs.
Fans were hoping for another nail-biting thriller after the Royals thumped Delhi Capitals in their last outing courtesy a Chris Morris master class but were disappointed.
Another batting collapse
Don’t worry Sunrisers Hyderabad, you’ve got company when it comes to losing the momentum of the game, out of nowhere.
Tonight, no one could have predicted that the domino effect will hit a strong batting line-up like the Royals.
Despite getting an aggressive start to the innings, Sanju Samson’s men fell 45 runs short of victory.
They went from 87 for 2 to 95 for 7 in no time.
The Moeen Ali juggernaut continues
There’s no stopping a certain English all-rounder who has gone all out each time he represented Chennai this season.
Moeen Ali has been clinical in every department so far.
As a captain, he’s your go-to guy for the any task.
In his three innings so far, Ali has shown that he can pile up handy 20 to 30 odd runs in any batting slot.Â
As for his bowling, his Man Of The Match performance with the ball spoke volumes of his game awareness.
He extracted wicked turn from the pitch in the latter part of the innings and claimed three significant scalps.
His 3/7 in three overs settled the match long before the last over was bowled.
Samson needs to change gears
Sanju Samson returned to the form of his life in the opening game against Punjab Kings where he almost took the Royals home with a glamorous century.
But things haven’t been the same since then.
His scores (1 and 4) in the next two games don’t bode too well.
In absence of Ben Stokes, the Royals skipper needs to step up before it’s too late for his side.
Ravindra Jadeja – the unsung hero
Jadeja is perhaps the most loved teammate due to his sublime fielding, especially by bowlers, just ask Deepak Chahar.
Apart from his 2/28 at a crucial stage of the game, the Chennai star may have made Jonty Rhodes jealous with his catching tonight.
He grabbed four catches, making them all seem easy by coming under the ball in no time.
Chennai Super Kings 188 for 9 (du Plessis 33, Ali 26, Sakariya 3-36, Morris 2-33) beat Rajasthan Royals 143 for 9 (Buttler 49, Unadkat 24, Ali 3-7, Curran 2-24, Jadeja 2-28) by 45 runs.