IPL Highlights RR vs CSK: Shane Watson, Ajinkya Rahane Fifties Help Royals Crush Chennai
Shane Watson and Ajinkya Rahane have helped Rajasthan Royals remain unbeaten with their fifth win in the tournament. Catch all the highlights of the match.
Rajasthan Royals proved too good for MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings in Ahmedabad. Catch all the highlights of the match here (Scorecard | Stats | Points Table | Schedule)
19:30 (IST): Ajinkya Rahane gets Man of the Match award for scoring 76 off 55 balls. He is now the leading run-getter in this edition.
19:17 (IST): Rajasthan record a comfortable 8-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings. Rajasthan Royals have stamped their authority and look serious contenders for this year's title. This is their fifth win in-a-row and they have cruised through the most consistent side, Chennai. They bowled well to start with and they have batted to with conviction to chase this decent total down.
19:14 (IST): WICKET! Steve Smith perishes! Pitched up ball on off, Smith chips it back straight to Dwayne Bravo who manages to take a good reflex catch. A little too late.
19:06 (IST): WICKET! Shane Watson is gone.
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18:44 (IST): FIFTY! Ajinkya Rahane also notches his fifty. His 15th in the IPL off only 35 balls. Royals are simply cruising at the moment.
18:41 (IST): FIFTY! Shane Watson brings up his 14th half-century off just 35 balls. He reaches the landmark with a huge six over long off.
18:30 (IST): Shane Watson and Ajinkya Rahane are scoring at will.
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18:10 (IST): Rajasthan Royals are off to a super start. Ajinkya Rahane and Shane Watson have looked comfortable.
17:50 (IST): The two teams are out in the middle. Shane Watson opens the batting with Ajinkya Rahane. Ishwar Pandey takes the new ball.
17:37 (IST): That's the end of first innings. Chris Morris bowls a superb last over as he concedes just seven runs. Royals have done a good job with the ball as they have restricted the batting heavyweights to just 156 for four. They got off to a decent start but then Brendon McCullum threw his wicket away and Suresh Raina too soon followed. Faf du Plessis did not bother the scoreboard much. MS Dhoni (31 not out) and Dwayne Bravo (62 not out) did a fairly good job to resurrect things from a stage where they were struggling. They went onto put on a 91-run stand.
17:25 (IST): FIFTY! Dwayne Bravo slams his fourth fifty off just 29 balls.
17:00 (IST): Chennai Super Kings' big guns have failed. All eyes are on MS Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo to revive innings and take them to a respectable total.
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16:43 (IST): WICKET! James Faulkner gets the set man! Pitches it up around off, Dwayne Smith goes for a big blooming drive but the ball takes the inside edge and cannons onto his stumps.
16:30 (IST): WICKET! Chennai are in a deep trouble. Ankit Sharma joins the party. Faf du Plessis charges down and lofts it looking to clear long off but he miscues it. Chris Morris times his jump to perfection and takes a splendid catch.
16:23 (IST): WICKET! Chris Morris angles it on a length outside off, Suresh Raina looks to cut it and gets cramped for room resulting in him getting an outside edge to Sanju Samson.
16:10 (IST): WICKET! Pravin Tambe strikes! Short and around off, Brendon McCullum rocks back and pulls it towards mid wicket. James Faulkner stationed there positions himself and the ball falls right into his waiting hands. A big blow and Tambe has got his man.
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15:40 (IST): TEAMS!
Chennai Super Kings: Dwayne Smith, Brendon McCullum, Suresh Raina, Faf du Plessis, MS Dhoni, Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohit Sharma, Ishwar Pandey, Ashish Nehra
Rajasthan Royals: Ajinkya Rahane, Sanju Samson, Steven Smith, Shane Watson, Karun Nair, Deepak Hooda, Stuart Binny, James Faulkner, Chris Morris, Ankit Sharma, Pravin Tambe
15:34 (IST): TOSS! MS Dhoni has won the toss ad Chennai Super Kings will bat first. But the big news is that Shane Watson is back to lead Rajasthan Royals.
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Battle for Supremacy
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Rajasthan will look to extend their winning streak against two-time champions Chennai Super Kings. However MS Dhoni's men are expected to push the Royals to the limit. (Read Full Preview)
Tambe Grateful to Inaugural IPL Champions
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Pravin Tambe has credited inaugural edition champions Rajasthan Royals for believing in his skills at a time when he hadn't even played a single first class game. The 43-year-old Mumbai spinner made his first class debut against Odisha in December, 2013, after playing his first Indian Premier League (IPL) match for the Royals against Delhi Daredevils at Jaipur on May 7, 2013. ('Rajasthan Royals' Love and Affection Motivate Me')
Nehra Gives Dhoni a Reason to Smile
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Ashish Nehra has been in good shape right from the first match of this IPL season and has picked up six wickets in three matches. He said that it is very important for any player to have the captain's faith, like Mahendra Singh Dhoni had in him. (Nehra Glad to Have Captain Dhoni's Faith)
The teams that contested the first ever IPL final in 2008 will lock horns yet again. With not much to choose from between them, one can only expect to see fireworks be it with the bat, ball or in the field. Either way, one team's unbeaten run is destined to come to an end.