Press Trust of India
Chennai, May 10: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) returned to the top of the table by posting a resounding by 12 runs victory over Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium here Sunday.
Chasing a target of 158 runs, RR could only manage 145 runs for the loss of nine wickets. Ravindra Jadeja (4/11) was right on the money taking the sting out of the Royals’ batting order.
Mohit Sharma (3/25) and Dwayne Bravo (2/43) also played their part by dismissing key batsmen of the opposition. Ajinkya Rahane (23) and Shane Watson (28) had begun well for the visitors, but Mohit started their downfall by getting Rahane caught.
James Faulkner (16) and Sanju Samson (26) struck a 33-run partnership for the sixth wicket to revive their team’s hopes but in the end it was too little too late.
Earlier Brendon McCullum (81, 61b, 7×4, 4×6) smashed a quickfire half-century before Chris Morris (3/19) produced a brilliant display with the ball for Rajasthan Royals to restrict CSK to a modest 157 for five.
Chennai did not have the best of starts as they lost their first two wickets inside the fourth over with the scoreboard reading just 15.
Thereafter, McCullum and Faf du Plesis (29) off steadied the ship with a 101-run stand for the third-wicket. McCullum opened up his arms in the sixth over smashing Pravin Tambe for two huge sixes in his opening over.
Du Plessis, on the other hand, played the second fiddle before he was run out by Watson in the 17th over. McCullum followed suit in the next over but not before scoring a well-deserved fifty. McCullum was caught by Ankit Sharma at long-leg off Morris in the 18th over as the Kiwi went for a big heave.
Thereafter, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (13 n o) and Dwayne Bravo (15 n o) stitched a 28-run partnership for the sixth-wicket to help CSK go past the 150-run mark.
Brief Scores
CSK 157 for five (Brendon McCullum 81; Chris Morris 3/19) beat RR 145 for nine (Shane Watson 28; Ravindra Jadeja 4/11, Mohit Sharma 3/25) by 12 runs.
