On a typical slow Chepauk pitch, pacer Simarjeet Singh’s fine spell (three for 26) and skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad’s measured unbeaten 42 helped Chennai Super Kings beat Rajasthan Royals by five wickets at the MAC stadium here on Sunday.

Electing to bat, the Royals batters grappled with the challenging conditions on a surface where the ball gripped and did not come onto the bat easily to manage only 141 for five.

After a cautious start, Yashasvi Jaiswal stepped up a gear in the fourth, slog-sweeping Maheesh Theekshana for a six and then late-cut him for a boundary. In the next over, Jaiswal went after Shardul Thakur hitting consecutive boundaries as the Royals finished on 42 for no loss in the PowerPlay.

However, during the middle overs, things went pear-shaped for the visitors when Simarjeet struck twice in his first two, to remove the openers Jaiswal and Jos Buttler. The pacer was accurate, targeting the good length area and tucked up the batters without giving width.

Jaiswal was the first to go, trying to swat Simarjeet, but ended up slicing a skier to Ruturaj before Buttler scooped straight to fine-leg fielder Tushar Deshpande.

Ravindra Jadeja further squeezed the runs with his attacking line at the stumps, tying down the in-form Sanju Samson.

At the other end, Riyan Parag (47 n.o.) did his best, striking a few sixes to keep the scoreboard moving, while Dhruv Jurel (28) gave the innings some impetus towards the end.

Chasing a modest target, Ruturaj held fort at one end while Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell chipped in with cameos. The visitors fought back in the middle overs by not conceding a boundary for 39 balls. But Shivam Dube calmed nerves when he hit R. Ashwin for a six and two boundaries in the 14th over to set the home team on the path to victory.

Ahead of the game, there was trepidation about whether it would be M.S. Dhoni’s last outing in Chennai.

The seventh win for CSK has kept the door open for the side to make the playoffs and a chance for Dhoni to play again in the city if the defending champion features in Qualifier 2 or the final.

SCOREBOARD

RAJASTHAN ROYALS

Yashasvi Jaiswal c Ruturaj b Simarjeet 24 (21b, 3×4, 1×6), Jos Buttler c Deshpande b Simarjeet 21 (25b, 2×4), Sanju Samson c Ruturaj b Simarjeet 15 (19b), Riyan Parag (not out) 47 (35b, 1×4, 3×6), Dhruv Jurel c Shardul b Deshpande 28 (18b, 1×4, 2×6), Shubham Dubey c Dube b Deshpande 0 (1b), R. Ashwin (not out) 1 (1b); Extras (lb-1, w-4): 5; Total (for five wkts. in 20 overs): 141.

FALL OF WICKETS

1-43 (Jaiswal, 6.2 overs), 2-49 (Buttler, 8.1), 3-91 (Samson, 14.2), 4-131 (Jurel, 19.1), 5-131 (Dubey, 19.2).

SUPER KINGS BOWLING

Deshpande 4-0-30-2, Theekshana 4-0-28-0, Shardul 4-0-32-0, Simarjeet 4-0-26-3, Jadeja 4-0-24-0.

CHENNAI SUPER KINGS

Rachin Ravindra c & b Ashwin 27 (18b, 1×4, 2×6), Ruturaj Gaikwad (not out) 42 (41b, 1×4, 2×6), Daryl Mitchell lbw b Chahal 22 (13b, 4×4), Moeen Ali c Avesh b Burger 10 (13b), Shivam Dube c Parag b Ashwin 18 (11b, 2×4, 1×6), Ravindra Jadeja (obstructing the field) 5 (6b), Sameer Rizvi (Impact Player in place of Mitchell) (not out) 15 (8b, 3×4); Extras (b-1, w-5): 6; Total (for five wkts. in 18.2 overs): 145.

FALL OF WICKETS

1-32 (Ravindra, 3.4), 2-67 (Mitchell, 7.5), 3-86 (Moeen, 11.5), 4-107 (Dube, 13.6), 5-121 (Jadeja, 15.5).

ROYALS BOWLING

Boult 2.2-0-24-0, Sandeep 3-0-30-0, Ashwin 4-0-35-2, Burger (Impact Player in place of Jurel) 3-0-21-1, Chahal 4-0-22-1, Avesh 2-0-12-0.

Toss: RR; PoM: Simarjeet.

CSK won by five wickets with 10 deliveries to spare.

Chennai Super Kings’ Moeen Ali and Daryl Mitchell celebrate their partnership during the match against Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League 2024, at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday.
| Photo Credit: ANI

As Chennai Super Kings prepares to take on Rajasthan Royals in its final home league match at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on May 12, the atmosphere will be feverish for more than one reason.

First, it is an afternoon game in the middle of peak summer here, and the mercury has been soaring for a while now. More importantly, CSK is facing the heat after its 35-run loss to Gujarat Titans on Friday and might need to win its remaining two games to qualify for the Playoffs.

But beyond these considerations, the stakes are high because there is a sense of foreboding surrounding this clash. It is a question that is on everybody’s lips. Could this be M.S. Dhoni’s last time in Chennai? A few years ago, the former India skipper had said he wanted to end his T20 career in Chennai.

With the city set to host the last two playoff games (Qualifier-2 and Final), fans will hope it won’t be the case. A win for CSK brightens its chances of finishing in the top four and gives the fans another opportunity to see their favourite cricketer.

However, it will be challenging for the misfiring Super Kings against a strong Royals. The constant changes haven’t helped, and the defending champion will hope the players can raise their levels and sign off in style at home.

Meanwhile, Sanju Samson’s side, which needed just one win to seal its qualification, stumbled in the last two games against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Capitals. While the lack of runs from the middle-order is a concern, Royals has enough firepower with bat and ball to extend its four-match winning streak against CSK.

Squads:

Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), MS Dhoni (wk), Aravelly Avanish, Ajinkya Rahane, Shaik Rasheed, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, RS Hangargekar, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajay Jadav Mandal, Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Nishant Sindhu, Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Mukesh Choudhary, Simarjeet Singh, Prashant Solanki, Shardul Thakur, Maheesh Theekshana, Sameer Rizvi.

Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (c), Jos Buttler, Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Donovan Ferreira, Kunal Rathore, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Sen, Navdeep Saini, Sandeep Sharma, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Avesh Khan, Rovman Powell, Shubham Dubey, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Abid Mushtaq, Nandre Burger, Tanush Kotian, Keshav Maharaj.

Match starts: 3.30 p.m. IST