IPL 2023, RR v CSK: Yashasvi Jaiswal, spinners help RR dethrone CSK from top of points table with 32-run win

Rajasthan Royals overcame a strong Chennai Super Kings batting unit and a sea of yellow at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium to notch up their 2nd win of the IPL 2023 season against the 4-time champions.

After posting the first 200-plus total at the iconic venue in Jaipur in the history of the IPL, Rajasthan defended the total with relative ease, riding on excellent spells from two of their spin-bowling masters — R Ashwin and Adam Zampa and a disciplined effort from Yorker expert Sandeep Sharma on Thursday, April 27.

Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 77 and R Ashwin and Adam Zampa’s combined tally of 5 wickets were the highlights of a dominant 32-run win as Rajasthan Royals dethroned Chennai Super Kings from the top of the IPL 2023 points table.

Both CSK and RR are tied on 10 points each after 8 games but the 2008 champions took the top spot due to their better Net Run Rate. While snapping their two-match losing streak, Rajasthan Royals also ended Chennai Super Kings’ 3-match winning run in Jaipur.

IPL 2023, RR v CSK: Highlights

SAMSON’S CAPTAINCY SHINES

Sanju Samson’s tactical astuteness was on display as the Rajasthan Royals captain marshalled his troops wonderfully well. He did not miss a single opportunity to slow down the game when the Super Kings batters managed to find a series of boundaries.

It was a bold call from Samson to win the toss and opt to bat on a good batting surface but Rajasthan flaunted their defending skills with an array of smart bowlers in their ranks.

Samson’s decision to give Adam Zampa an over in the powerplay proved to be a masterstroke as the Australian leg-spinner ended Devon Conway’s struggle in the middle.

RUTURAJ, DUBE KNOCKS IN VAIN
Ruturaj Gaikwad tried his best to make up for a rare off-day for Devon Conway, who struggled for his 16-ball 8. Ruturaj hit 29 off 47 before he fell to Zampa in the 10th over.

Impact Player Ambati Rayudu got out for a duck but Shivam Dube brought up his 3rd successive fifty of the season. Dube hit 4 sixes but it did not prove enough for CSK, who left a lot in the end to do.

Moeen Ali (23 off 12) and Ravindra Jadeja (23 off 15) threw their bats in the end but the scoreboard pressure was a bit too much to deal with.

YASHASVI EXPLOSIVE AT TOP
Earlier in the day, Yashasvi Jaiswal notched up his career-best score in T20s, putting on a show of big-hitting against the Chennai Super Kings new-ball bowlers. Even as his more established batting partner, Jos Buttler, was struggling to find the big ones at the consistent rate that he is known for, young Jaiswal played around with the field with his brilliant strokeplay.

It was Jaiswal, who took on the onus of scoring big runs in the powerplay as Rajasthan Royals raced to 62 for 0 at the end of 6 overs. Jaiswal’s face-off against his former U19 teammate Akash Singh was a delight to watch as he played around with the field, picking up the lengths from the left-arm pacer quite early.

Akash, who had made it a habit to get the big wickets in the powerplay, was taken to the cleaners as Jaiswal was driving and pulling the left-arm pacer with ease. He scored 32 runs in the first 2 overs of the left-arm pacer, hitting 6 boundaries and a six as Chennai Super Kings were taken aback by the big-hitting start that Jaiswal gave the Rajasthan Royals.

After a strong powerplay, Rajasthan Royals looked to kick ahead but Ravindra Jadeja gave Chennai Super Kings the much-needed breakthrough when he removed Jos Buttler. The England white-ball captain was getting frustrated at his inability to get a move on and he paid the price by hitting one straight to the throat of the long-on fielder in the 9th over.

While Jaiswal kept going after the Chennai Super Kings in the middle-overs, Sanju Samson, their captain, was not getting used to the pace of the pitch as well as he would wanted to. The scoring rate dipped a bit and Tushar Deshpande, who was brought into the attack for a second spell in the 14th over, got a double blow as he removed Samson (17) and the big scalp of Yashasvi (77).

JUREL BLITZ GIVES RR 202
Just when it looked like CSK would put the brakes on the RR scoring rate after conceding just 21 runs in the next 3 overs, Rajasthan upped the ante in the last 3 overs.

Rajasthan scored 49 runs in the last 3 overs, thanks to some wonderful big-hitting skills from Dhruv Jurel and Devdutt Padikkal. Rajasthan did the right thing by sending their best batters higher up the order and they also overcame a rare Shimron Hetmyer failure (8 off 10) to push the throttle in the final 3 overs.

Jurel hit 2 sixes and 3 boundaries while Padikkal came up with 5 boundaries to take the team past 202, the first time a 200-plus was achieved at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in the history of the IPL.

Jurel’s fearless approach was thrilling to watch as Rajasthan seem to have finally found a potent lower-order batter who can hit them big after a series of failures from Riyan Parag.

For CSK, young Matheesha Pathirana got it right at the death but luck favoured the Rajasthan batters as the Super Kings’ own version of Lasith Malinga, gave 33 runs in his last 2 overs.