- Rajasthan Royals defeat CSK by eight wickets
- Rahane (76*) and Watson (73) set new Royals record with opening stand of 144
- Royals now the only unbeaten side in the 2015 IPL
Easy as you like in the end as new man Karun Nair hits the winning run. Fantastic unbeaten knock of 76 from 55 balls from Ajinkya Rahane.
Rajasthan Royals now the only side in this year’s IPL with a 100% record.
Smith chips tamely back to Bravo. Oh noes.
18th over: Rajasthan Royals 156-1 (Rahane 76, Smith 6)
Mohit Sharma returns for a futile final over. A scampered single brings an overthrow for two before Rahane delicately ramps over Dhoni’s head for another couple. 1 to win...
17th over: Rajasthan Royals 147-1 (Rahane 71, Smith 2)
Watto departs, bowled by Jadeja, and he’s replaced by Australia’s saviour, Steve Smith.
Jadeja megs Watson with a yorker and CSK are back in with... no. No chance.
16th over: Rajasthan Royals 144-0 (Rahane 70, Watson 73)
Somehow, Watson skies one high in the air and it falls between Dwaynes Smith and Bravo. Watto thought he was a goner and ends up smirking to himself when he sees it land safe.
15th over: Rajasthan Royals 138-0 (Watson 71, Rahane 66)
Fine ticking over from these two and when the bad ball comes, it’s smoked. Watson gets a full toss from Nehra, who’s bowling around the wicket, and thumps it straight past him for four! 10 from the over, and most notably, this is now the highest opening partnership for the Royals, in IPL history.
14th over: Rajasthan Royals 128-0 (Rahane 64, Watson 64)
Gloriously picked up six over midwicket from Rahane, following it up with a wristy pull through square leg. Thirteen from it in the end.
13th over: Rajasthan Royals 115-0 (Watson 63, Rahane 52)
Nehra back into the attack and a flick to square leg takes Rahane to his 50 (from 35 balls). Watto edges again to third man, but with no risk whatsoever.
12th over: Rajasthan Royals 110-0 (Rahane 48, Watson 68)
Watto goes to his half-century with a glorious six over cover, off new bowler Dwayne Bravo. Bravo bowling around the wicket – Watto letting the ball come across him and lofting it over the rope. Thick outside edge next ball goes through third man for four! Bravo goes slower for the last ball and Watto is far too early on it. But it’s going his way and it’s a top-edged four, through third man again.
11th over: Rajasthan Royals 94-0 (Rahane 47, Watson 47)
Run a ball that over, as jadeja mixes his pace up and these two just happily pilfer singles. They now have the same score off as many deliveries (33).
10th over: Rajasthan Royals 88-0 (Rahane 44, Watson 44)
Aswhin starts wide and Rahane cuts for four, first ball. Watto then smokes a powerful, flat six, on one knee, over mid-on. Excellent footwork from Rahane allows him to play the ball after it spins off the pitch, and snatches one through point.
9th over: Rajasthan Royals 73-0 (Rahane 36, Watson 37)
Watson starts with a six! You could sense the frustration building, plus with Jadeja’s flat round-arm, it plays into Watson’s desire to come down the track and hit over mid-off and cover. Six again next ball, before Jadeja goes into his pads for a dot ball. Width again and Watto goes squarer, but just for one. He gets on strike later and plays a similar shot, albeit a bit more controlled, for two. Sixteen from the over.
8th over: Rajasthan Royals 57-0 (Rajane 35, Watson 22)
Big spin for Ashwin’s first ball, as Rahane tries to give himself room to cut but readjusts as the ball comes in. Standard Watto swipe sweep but he finds the man on the rope for just one. Singles of each ball.
7th over: Rajasthan Royals 51-0 (Rahane 32, Watson 19)
Ravi Jadeja into the attack, as Dhoni looks to stem the run-flow with a change of pace. Jadeja is around the wicket to both right-handers runs to point and fine-leg. Expect the run-rate to slow a touch. This is where CSK can get back in the game...
6th over: Rasjathan Royals 47-0 (Rahane 29, Watson 18)
Some really nice strikes from Watto on any other day might have reaped 16 from that over. As it happens, he finds the fielders for most. Eventually, after four dot balls, he finds the square leg boundary.
5th over: Rajasthan Royals 42-0 (Rahane 29, Watson 13)
Absurd shot from Rahane, who is too early on a good length ball from Nehra but adjusts his wrists and somehow manages to lift it over mid-on’s head for four! Watson on strike and Nehra does well to keep tabs on him, meaning Watto goes searching for a drive ball. It’s an aerial shot to mid-off, but Faf, diving forward, cannot claim the catch. Another reprieve, of sorts, as Watto gets a leading edge and the ball just dinks over the head of Nehra. A four ends the over as a shot to mid-wicket should be stopped, but Bravo tries to use his feet and over-steps the ball. Garbage.
4th over: Rajasthan Royals 32-0 (Rahane 20, Watson 12)
Mohit Sharma on for his first ball and his second delivery is clouted over mid-wicket for SIX! That causes a change in the field, with the man at slip coming out and – yes, you guess it – CAPTAIN WATTO nicks through that region for FOUR. Much more convincing, next ball, as he pushes back and pierces the gap in the covers for two.
3rd over: Rajasthan Royals 19-0 (Rahane 13, Watson 6)
Rahane starts this over with a four - punching, aerially, down the ground. Soon, CAPTAIN WATTO is in on the act, timing a fine cover-drive for four.
2nd over: Rajasthan Royals 8-0 (Rahane 7, Watson 1)
Nehra from the other end and he starts with a sharp ball going across an advancing Rahane. But the next ball Rahane stays dead still and plays a crispy off-drive for four. Watson nearly edges onto his stumps.
1st over: Rasthan Royals 1-0 (Rahane 1, Watson 0)
CAPTAIN WATTO and Ajinkya Rahane opening up and, a ball in, Dhoni decides to stand up to the stumps. Ishwar Pandey, a right-arm medium pacer, starts with the ball and he’s not giving too much away, both off the pitch and in width. Good start, just one off the over.
And the chase is on...
20th over: CSK 156-4 (Bravo 62, Dhoni 31)
Morris into the attack and a leg-stump yorker is guided by Bravo, with an angle bat, past fine leg for four! Good, sharp stuff from Morris, with a bit of movement into the right-hander, keeps Bravo honest. A scrambled single sees Dhoni on strike. Wide but legal next ball is left alone, with the expected wide not forthcoming. Dhoni pulls the next ball for two. And a play and miss off the last ball of the innings.
19th over: CSK 149-4 (Bravo 57, Dhoni 29)
Faulkner starts with a full toss and it’s hit over cover but with the toe of Bravo’s bat, for two. Big heave from Bravo brings another two. The next ball should have been a run-out, as Bravo reluctantly runs a leg-bye. Faulkner gathers easily and Bravo is well out of shot, but a miss! Bravo finds himself on strike again and heaves high down the ground. The fielder catches it but throws it back to Steve Smith, thinking he was on the verge of touching the sponge. He wasn’t. A costly error?
18th over: CSK 139-4 (Bravo 50, Dhoni 28)
Cracking shot through cover from Bravo, who dances down to Thambe, bowling his last over, and hits the ball all along the floor. Same again a few balls later, to a full toss, before he rocks back and smashes a long-hop for six! Great power. Bravo’s 50 comes off 29 balls (7x4s; 1x6).
17th over: CSK 122-4 (Bravo 34, Dhoni 27)
Bravo does well to find a gap at deep midwicket, scoring four and bringing up the fifty partnership between these two. Then Dhoni is in on the act, hammering a short-ball from Watto through the same region for another four!
16th over: CSK 113-4 (Bravo 29, Dhoni 23)
Chris Morris, whose first two overs saw him take one for 5, comes back for the death. Dhoni can’t get him away and can only hit to the man down the ground, for one. Bravo, too, can only fashion a couple of singles. Then a four through point!
15th over: CSK 106-4 (Bravo 27, Dhoni 18)
Helmet back on for Dhoni – and maybe a change of bat? – as Faulkner comes back in. New or old, it’s put to use as Faulkner is a bit too wide and Dhoni times the ball through point for four!
14th over: CSK 100-4 (Bravo 26, Dhoni 13)
Hooda back into the attack and it’s piss-poor really. A four is save brilliantly by Rahane before Bravo puts another short-ball wider for four from the last ball.
13th over: CSK 89-4 (Bravo 19, Dhoni 11)
Tambe’s leggies now and it’s all singles for the first four and dots for the last two. Good stuff.
12th over: CSK 85-4 (Bravo 17, Dhoni 9)
CAPTAIN WATTO into the attack and the majority of the over is captain to captain. Standard CAPTAIN WATTO, wicket to wicket stuff, but a slight veering onto the leg side and Bravo tucks it, wristily, behind square on the leg side for four! And the over ends with another, this one through cover-point, well-timed off the back foot.
11th over: CSK 73-4 (Bravo 9, Dhoni 7
Stuart Binny into the attack and he does smartly to dot up the first four balls before veering from what was working, going short and slow, and Dhoni plinks it on the head, past the keeper, for four!
10th over: CSK 68-4 (Bravo 9, Dhoni 2)
Fine start from Faulkner, as he gets on to come into Smith, who slashes across the line and edges onto the timber. MS Dhoni in and a few singles between him and Bravo make sure the over is not a total shambles.
Oh dear. It was on the cards, too, as Smith swipes one too many and edges Faulkner onto his stumps.
9th over: CSK 65-3 (Smith 40, Bravo 8)
Sharma to bowl his third and Bravo brings up the team 50, before Smith gets a couple of twos into the leg-side. Then, big, down the ground, six! Sharma then readjusts too much and it’s full, tickled around the corner for four.
8th over: CSK 49-3 (Smith 25, Bravo 7)
Tambe in and Smith and Bravo swipe, before Bravo gets a short-ball that he puts over midwicket’s head for four!
7th over: CSK 40-3 (Smith 22, Bravo 1)
Modest Power Play by CSK’s standards and it’s not great from Faf. He hits himself in the helmet, first ball, and then fails to clear the 9-foot reach of Chris Morris. Bravo gets off the mark with a one through cover that should have been two.
Bit rubbish from Faf - tries to go down the ground and can’t beat Morris who, to be fair, pulls off a special catch, jumping, over his head.
6th over: CSK 39-2 (Smith 22, du Plessis 1)
Morris for his second over, and Raina is right behind the first one. Short-ish ball is not well-timed by Raina and he gets two to square leg, as Ankit Sharma does good work in front of the sponge. Should have been three, which would have saved Raina, who edges through to the keeper next ball. Faf du Plessis the man in. Good over, just three from it.
Good pace from Morris finds Raina’s footwork wanting – waft through to the keeper.
5th over: CSK 36-1 (Smith 22, Raina 2)
Another bowling change – no one has bowled two overs so far – as James Faulkner comes in. Fairly good albeit rudimentary tactic when you’re trying to keep the batsmen guessing. Not so good when you serve up a short-ball that’s carted behind square leg for a huge six! Smith not actually managing to get hold of Faulkner, six aside, and ends up fore-handing a slower-ball into the pitch. Two from the last ball, dug out and timed down the ground.
4th over: CSK 28-1 (Smith 14, Raina 2)
This season’s hot prospect, Deepak Hooda, is into the attack, bowling off-spin from around the wicket to the leftie, on his bloody ruddy birthday. First ball is short rubbish and hit through square leg for four. Then he’s flatter and finer and Smith paddles it around the corner for another.
Anyone lucky enough to be celebrating their 20th birthday deserves a pasting...
3rd over: CSK 17-1 (Smith 4, Raina 1)
Your dad’s cool mate Pravin Tambe comes to the party and sees off McCullum, after B-Mac had stung his finger-tips with a swipe down the ground for four. Suresh Raina is in at no.3
McCullum picks the wrong ball to cross-bat, and can only mistime the ball to Faulkner at mid on.
2nd over: CSK 11-0 (McCullum 8, Smith 3)
Chris Morris into the attack and his first couple of balls are on the money and the third, Smith can only clatter into his thigh. Luckily, Smith’s thigh is made of string. He works the next ball away through square leg for two before trying and failing to charge the last ball down the ground.
1st over: CSK 9-0 (McCullum 8, Smith 1)
Rajasthan opting for the left-arm spin of Ankit Sharma and Smith pushes down the ground for on. B-Mac watchful for the first and flicky for the second, as Sharma’s on leg-stump and it’s four! Shorter ball later on is waited on and cut, in front of point – and in the air – for four.
The Royals have broken from their huddle and charged on. B-Mac and Dwayne Smith follow soon after. This should be a good ‘un...
Morning all - Vithushan here, for this CLASH OF EPIC PROPORTIONS UNTIL THE NEXT GAME BETWEEN THESE TWO, AFTER MORE GAMES HAVE TAKEN PLACE, THUS RENDERING THIS A FOOTNOTE TO THAT MORE TELLING ENCOUNTER.
Sorry, no need for caps lock there – I was put off by Ravi Shastri shouting at Matt Floyd in the Sky Studios. The atmosphere at Ahmedabad is simply adding the electricity to Shastri’s storm.
Hi. Vithushan will be along shortly for a top-of-the-table encounter, as Rajasthan Royals (four wins out of four so far) against Chennai Super Kings (three wins out of three). In the meantime, here’s Dan Lucas on yesterday’s match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab:
A brilliant lower-order counterattacking partnership between Yusuf Pathan and Andre Russell rescued the defending IPL champions from a batting collapse while chasing a modest total against Kings XI Punjab.
In a repeat of the 2014 final, Kings XI endured the worst possible start when Murali Vijay popped up a catch to Russell at mid-on before a run had been scored. The highly impressive Morne Morkel then removed Wriddhiman Saha, who scored a century in a losing cause when these sides met in last year’s final, and Russell dismissed Sehwag to reduce them to 27 for three.
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