In the 62nd game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, Rajasthan Royals (RR) beat Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by six wickets at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
RR won the toss and decided to field first. Despite conceding 68 runs in the powerplay, they made significant breakthroughs, taking three critical wickets during that period. The RR bowlers strengthened their hold in the second half of the innings, giving up only 87 runs in the last ten overs. Akash Madhwal and Yudhvir Singh Charak were particularly effective with the ball, while Wanindu Hasaranga bowled a neat and economical stint that kept the score under control.
Chasing 188, the Royals got off to a solid start, with openers Yashasvi Jaiswal (36) and Vaibhav Suryavanshi (57) routinely hitting the boundary. The squad scored 56 runs in the powerplay and lost only one wicket. The chase was built around a fast second-wicket partnership between Suryavanshi and skipper Sanju Samson (41), who contributed 50 runs in 27 balls. The 14-year-and-54-days-old kid was in top form, blasting four fours and four sixes in a spectacular knock that put RR well in charge. However, the swift dismissals of both in-form batters prompted a temporary pause, since the lower middle-order has historically failed to finish games. Despite the strain, Dhruv Jurel (31*) performed admirably, ending the chase with a blistering strike rate of 258.33. His controlled yet aggressive cameo meant that RR won easily in 17.1 overs.
Ayush Mhatre (43) once again shone at the top for CSK, delivering a strong start in the powerplay. However, none of the other top-order batters capitalised on the momentum. The lower middle order produced vital runs in the late stages, with Dewald Brevis (42), Shivam Dube (39), and MS Dhoni (16) chipping in. Despite a good start, 100 runs in only 9.5 overs, CSK failed to capitalise in the second part of the innings. On a batting-friendly surface, the team could only score 187/8 in 20 overs, falling short of the expected finish.
For RR with the ball, Yudhvir Singh Charak and Akash Madhwal were at their best tonight as they plucked three wickets each. With them, one wicket each was also picked up by Tushar Deshpande and Wanindu Hasaranga.
Talking about CSK with the ball, two wickets were grabbed by veteran Ravichandran Ashwin and one each was plucked by Anshul Kamboj and Noor Ahmad.
With this win, RR sign off IPL 2025 with an emphatic victory.
Scorecard:
Chennai Super Kings: 187/8, Overs 20, Ayush Mhatre 43, Akash Madhwal 3/29
Rajasthan Royals: 188/4, Overs 17.1, Vaibhav Suryavanshi 57, Ravichandran Ashwin 2/41
