This story is from October 19, 2020

CSK vs RR Highlights: Rajasthan Royals crush Chennai Super Kings by 7 wickets, jump to 5th in standings

Check CSK vs RR IPL live score updates, scorecard, Ball by ball commentary, live streaming and highlights on Times of India
CSK vs RR Highlights: Rajasthan Royals crush Chennai Super Kings by 7 wickets, jump to 5th in standings
(Photo credit: BCCI/IPL)
Key Highlights
  • Jos Buttler (70*) and Steve Smith (26*) helped Rajasthan Royals chase down the 126-run target in 17.3 overs with seven wickets in hand
  • Shreyas Gopal (1-14) and Rahul Tewatia (1-18) helped Rajasthan Royals retrict Chennai Super Kings to 125/5 in 20 overs
  • CSK skipper MS Dhoni won the toss and decided to bat first
CSK vs RR: Blog | Scorecard | Points Table
Man-of-the-Match Jos Buttler (70 not out off 48 balls): "Nice to get a win on the board tonight. I tried to come out with some intensity in my batting. I didn't think I had enough last game, and I decided to take a few more options tonight, and it came off. You have to keep trusting yourself and particularly when there's no scoreboard pressure, you can play yourself in and cut loose in the end.
I'm happy (batting at number 5) to do whatever the team needs me to do. This is my role for now."
RR skipper Steve Smith:"Sharjah is a little different from here. The wicket was stoppy, not the best for batting, and good to be on the winning side. I thought we bowled well in the powerplay. The spinners bowled good lengths, with the googlies and leggies, building a lot of pressure. Tewatia and Shreyas have been sensational for us. Buttler took the pressure off me. I just knocked it around, and he just batted the way he usually does. He always maintains a good strike-rate. I didn't know I'd nicked the ball (LBW call), but I was relieved to see that I had."
RR pacer Jofra Archer:"The rhythm seems to be better at the moment. There is a bit of grass in the wicket, that makes me bend my back a bit. It's been difficult in the bubble, some days you go for the gym, but you'd have to do it, you have been out of action for a few months. The better you condition your body, the better it is. You don't lift heavy weights during the competition, but you usually do some basic cores you'll do a bit of weights, that will be okay."
CSK skipper MS Dhoni:"There was a bit for the fast bowlers. The reason I brought on Jadeja was to see how much it's stopping. But it didn't stop much. In the second innings I think it got better because our spinners didn't get the same bite. It's about going back to the process, and then see if the process is wrong. We play in front of millions of people so there is nothing to hide. We're trying a few things. You don't want to chop and change. Insecurity is something you don't want to prevail in the dressing room. Fair enough, this season we weren't really there. Also the youngsters, we didn't see the spark to push the guys. But what this result has done is give those youngsters a chance in the rest of the tournament."

That's it! Rajasthan Royals (126/3) crush Chennai Super Kings (125/5) by 7 wickets in Abu Dhabi. With the comprehensive victory, Rajasthan jumped to 5th in the standings with eight points, two behind Kolkata Knight Riders on fourth. Jos Buttler (70* off 48 balls; 2x6s & 7x4s) and Steve Smith (26* off 34; 2x4s) put on a 98-run unbroken stand for Rajasthan.

17.3 overs: RR 126/3, win by 7 wickets
Steve Smith (26*) sealed the game with a single off Ravindra Jadeja.
17 overs: RR 124/3, need 2 off 18 balls
12 runs off Piyush Chawla's over as Steve Smith (25*) hit a four and Jos Buttler (69*) clobbered a six in it. Rajasthan are almost there now.
16.4 overs: SIX! Jos Buttler (68*) smacks Piyush Chawla over long-on for his second maximum. RR 123/3
Time-Out!
16 overs: RR 112/3, need 14 off 24 balls
Shardul Thakur completed his spell with a tidy over as the pacer gave away just four singles in it. Thakur's final figures: 4-0-34-0
15 overs: RR 108/3
2, 1, 4, 4, 4, 1 - Jos Buttler (60* off 40 balls) finishing off the run chase in style as he smacked three consecutive fours off Piyush Chawla to score 16 runs off the over. Rajasthan just need 18 off 30 balls now.
* FIFTY for Jos Buttler (51*) off 37 balls, his 11th in IPL. RR 99/3 in 14.3 overs
Buttler brought up his fifty with a four off Piyush Chawla.

14 overs: RR 92/3, need 34 off 36 balls
Steve Smith (15*) finally hit a four, on his 24th ball, as Rajasthan scored nine runs off Shardul Thakur in the over. Rajasthan marching ahead quite comfortably.
13 overs: RR 83/3
Tidy start for Piyush Chawla, gave away just four runs in it.
* Bowling change: Piyush Chawla comes into the attack
12 overs: RR 79/3, need 47 off 48 balls
13 runs off Shardul Thakur as Jos Buttler (41*) decided to take the game head on. The onslaught also brought down the asking rate below 6 for Rajasthan.
11.4 overs: BOOM! 4 & 6 - After hitting a cracking four in the previous delivery, Jos Buttler (40*) smacks Shardul Thakur over mid-off for the first maximum of the run chase. It brings up 50-run partnership between Buttler and Steve Smith (8*) too. RR 78/3
11 overs: RR 66/3
Seven runs off Sam Curran's over. Rajasthan going for their runs without taking risk as the required rate is below 7 for them.
* Change at both ends: Sam Curran comes into the attack
10 overs: RR 59/3, need 67 off 60 balls
Eight runs off Shardul Thakur's first over as Jos Buttler (23*) hit another four in it. Rajasthan are very much on course in their run chase, while Chennai need wickets soon to be in the game.
* Bowling change: Shardul Thakur comes into the attack
Time-Out!
9 overs: RR 51/3
Josh Hazlewood conceded eight runs in the final over of his spell as the pacer returned figures of 1 for 19 in 4 overs.
* Jos Buttler (15*) brings up 50 for Rajasthan with a four to long-on off Josh Hazlewood. RR 50/3 in 8.4 overs
8 overs: RR 43/3, need 83 off 72 balls
Deepak Chahar completed his spell with another tidy over as he gave away just three runs in it. Chahar's final figures: 4-1-18-2
7 overs: RR 40/3
Nine runs off Ravindra Jadeja's first over as Jos Buttler (9*) hit a four in it.
6.2 overs: FOUR! Jos Buttler (6*) opens his boundary count with a reverse sweep four off Ravindra Jadeja. RR 36/3
* Bowling change: Ravindra Jadeja comes into the attack
6 overs: RR 31/3, need 95 off 84 balls
Another good, tidy over from Josh Hazlewood - just three runs oof it.
5.2 overs: NOT OUT! Chennai lost their review as there was an inside edge off Steve Smith's bat before hitting his pad. RR 29/3
5 overs: RR 28/3
A wicket-maiden from Deepak Chahar. Just wow!
4.3 overs: OUT! Deepak Chahar strikes again, dismisses Sanju Samson (0). RR 28/3
WHAT A CATCH! Brilliant glovework from none other than MS Dhoni as the keeper, playing his 200th game in IPL, dived to his left to grab a low catch down the leg-side. Samson out for naught and Rajasthan stuttering in a low chase.

4 overs: RR 28/2
Brilliant over from Josh Hazlewood - a wicket and just two runs off it. The pacer also bowled five straight dot balls in it.
3.2 overs: OUT! Josh Hazlewood gets rid of Robin Uthappa (4). RR 28/2
Two wickets in three balls for Chennai, the kind start they are hoping for defending just 125. Uthappa tried to be cheeky and scooped the ball over the keeper but ended up giving MS Dhoni a simple catch.
2.6 overs: OUT! Deepak Chahar cleans up Ben Stokes for 19. RR 26/1
Just after hitting another cracking four towards long-off, Stokes dragged one to his stumps as Chahar provided the early breakthrough Chennai are looking for. Stokes hit three boundaries in his 11-ball innings.
2 overs: RR 20/0
10 runs from Josh Hazlewood's over too as Ben Stokes (14*) hit a four in it. Good start for Rajasthan in their run chase.
* Josh Hazlewood to share the new ball with Deepak Chahar
1 over: RR 10/0
Dramatic start to the Royals run chase. Ben Stokes (9*) started with a cracking four, which was followed by five runs through an overthrow boundary and off the last delivery Deepak Chahar persuaded MS Dhoni to take a review for LBW against Robin Uthappa. Ball-tracking showed that it was just clipping the top of off-stump, so the final verdict was not out and Chennai keep their review.
0.4 overs: FIVE! Ambati Rayudu's attempt to run-out Ben Stokes (9*) ends up in giving away a boundary in overthrow. RR 9/0
0.2 overs: FOUR! Ben Stokes opens his and his team's account with a cracking boundary through the covers off Deepak Chahar. RR 4/0
Welcome Back! Ben Stokes and Robin Uthappa to start the RR run chase. Deepak Chahar with the ball for CSK.
Shreyas Gopal (4-0-14-1):"Earlier there was a bit of spin, not sure how it'll be right now. More than spin, it was holding up. You had to bowl slow and make it harder for them to hit the ball, and that was the plan with Tewatia. We understand each others' bowling well. He's doing alright, just a small niggle. Hopefully it's a chaseable target. We need to take the game as deep as possibly with wickets in hand - that should be the best way to approach this chase."
20 overs: CSK 125/5
Excellent final over from Ben Stokes, gave away just seven runs in it including a bye. A below par total from Chennai for sure. Ravindra Jadeja top-scored for Chennai and remained unbeaten on 35 off 30 balls which included four boundaries. For Rajasthan, Shreyas Gopal (1-14), Rahul Tewatia (1-18), Jofra Archer (1-20) and Kartik Tyagi (1-35) took a wicket apiece.
19.2 overs: DROPPED! Jofra Archer drops a sitter to give Kedar Jadhav, on 1, a life late in the innings. CSK 121/5
19 overs: CSK 118/5
Ravindra Jadeja (32*) hit two back-to-back fours off Jofra Archer as they scored 11 runs in it. Jadeja hit the first four towards long-off and then flicked one fine to fine leg boundary. Archer returned figures of 1 for 20 in 4 overs.
18 overs: CSK 107/5Rajasthan restrict Chennai to 125/5
Brilliant finish to the over as Kartik Tyagi bowled dot balls off the last two deliveries to concede just seven runs in it. Tyagi's final figures: 4-0-35-1
17.4 overs: OUT! MS Dhoni run out for 28. CSK 107/5
While trying to steal a second run on a misfield, Dhoni found himself just short of the crease. Timely breakthrough for Rajasthan. The Chennai skipper hit two fours in his run-a-ball innings and added 51 runs for the fifth wicket with Ravindra Jadeja.
* 50-run partnership between MS Dhoni (27*) and Ravindra Jadeja (22*). CSK 106/4 in 17.3 overs
17 overs: CSK 100/4
Jofra Archer came back and bowled a tidy over as the pacer gave away just four singles in it.
16 overs: CSK 96/4
No boundaries as Ben Stokes gave away seven runs in it including a leg bye. Chennai's run rate is exactly 6 per over right now. They need to change gears soon to remain in contention.
* Rajasthan Royals' two spinners, Shreyas Gopal (1-14) and Rahul Tewatia (1-18), have completed their spells. Brilliant returns from them as they took a wicket apiece and conceded just 32 runs off their quota of 8 overs. Excellent work!
15 overs: CSK 89/4
Rahul Tewatia completed his spell with another tidy over, conceding just four singles in it. Tewatia's final figures: 4-0-18-1

Time-Out!
14 overs: CSK 85/4
14 runs off Kartik Tyagi over as Ravindra Jadeja (16*) decided to target the young pacer and smacked two back-to-back fours to open his boundary bount. Finally a big one for Chennai in a while.
13.2 overs: FOUR! MS Dhoni (13*) opens his boundary count with a cracking four through covers off Kartik Tyagi. First boundary for Chennai in more than eight overs. CSK 75/4
13 overs: CSK 71/4
Brilliant finish to the spell from Shreyas Gopal, gave away just three singles in it. Gopal's final figures: 4-0-14-1
12 overs: CSK 68/4
Seven runs off Rahul Tewatia's over. Chennai batsmen are finding it tough to score freely in the middle and they have not scored a boundary in the last seven overs.
11 overs: CSK 61/4
Shreyas Gopal came up with another tidy over, gave away just five runs in it.

9.6 overs: OUT! Rahul Tewatia strikes to dismiss Ambati Rayudu (13). CSK 56/4
Soft dismissal. Rayudu top-edged one while trying to sweep the ball and it went straight up for Sanju Samson to complete a simple catch. Chennai batsmen are finding it tough to get going in the middle with wickets falling at regular intervals. Another brilliant over from Rahul Tewatia, a wicket and just a single off it.
9 overs: CSK 55/3
Good, successful over from Shreyas Gopal - a wicket and just four runs off it.
8.3 overs: NOT OUT! Successful review from Ambati Rayudu, on 12, to overturn LBW decision off Shreyas Gopal. The ball missed the leg stump and the umpire has to change his decision. CSK 53/3
Time-Out!
8.2 overs: OUT! Shreyas Gopal dismisses Sam Curran (22). CSK 53/3
While trying to up the ante against the spinner, Curran charged out but was holed out at long-off by Jos Buttler. Curran hit a six and a four during his 25-ball 22 innings. Regular wickets hampering Chennai's effort to steady their innings in the middle.
8 overs: CSK 51/2
Rahul Tewatia started with a six-run over, five singles and a no-ball in it.
* 50 comes up for CSK in 7.5 overs - 50/2
* Spin from both ends: Rahul Tewatia comes into the attack
7 overs: CSK 45/2
Good, tidy start from Shreyas Gopal, gave away just two singles in it.
* Bowling change: Spinner Shreyas Gopal comes into the attack
6 overs: CSK 43/2
End of Powerplay. Good comeback from Kartik Tyagi, after conceding 13 runs in his previous over, as the pacer gave away just two singles in it.
5 overs: CSK 41/2
After Sam Curran (15*) started the over with a six, Ambati Rayudu smacked Ben Stokes for two fours in four balls as the pacer leaked 15 runs in his first over. Big one for Chennai.
4.1 overs: SIX! Sam Curran (14*) welcomes Ben Stokes with a big six straight down the ground, first maximum of the night. CSK 32/2
* Change at both ends: Ben Stokes comes into the attack
3.6 overs: OUT! Kartik Tyagi gets rid of Shane Watson (8). CSK 26/2
Watson started his innings with two back-to-back fours, but hit it straight to Rahul Tewatia at short mid-wicket for a soft dismissal. Young Tyagi had the last laugh as he scalped the veteran batsman after conceding 13 runs in his first over. Chennai in early trouble.
3.2 overs: FOUR! Sam Curran (7*) opens his boundary count with a cracking four through covers off Kartik Tyagi. CSK 17/1
* Bowling change: Kartik Tyagi comes into the attack
2.6 overs: OUT! Jofra Archer strikes early to dismiss Faf du Plessis (10). CSK 13/1
BIG WICKET! What a brilliant catch by Jos Buttler at short cover as Archer gave Royals an early breakthrough. Faf tried to cut it over point but mitimed it and Buttler jumped to his left side and grabbed it with both hands mid air. Good start for Rajasthan.
2 overs: CSK 10/0
8 runs off Ankit Rajpoot's over as Faf du Plessis (8*) hit a four in it.
1.2 overs: FOUR! Faf du Plessis (5*) opens his boundary count with a four through mid-wicket off Ankit Rajpoot. CSK 6/0
* Ankit Rajpoot to share the new ball with Jofra Archer
1 over: CSK 2/0
Fast and tidy start from Jofra Archer, just two singles off it.
Here we go...Faf du Plessis and Sam Curran to start the CSK innings. Jofra Archer with the ball for RR.
Playing XIs:
Rajasthan Royals: Robin Uthappa, Ben Stokes, Sanju Samson (w), Steven Smith (c), Jos Buttler, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Jofra Archer, Shreyas Gopal, Ankit Rajpoot, Kartik Tyagi
Chennai Super Kings: Faf du Plessis, Sam Curran, Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (w/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Kedar Jadhav, Deepak Chahar, Piyush Chawla, Shardul Thakur, Josh Hazlewood
TOSS | Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni wins toss, opts to bat against Rajasthan Royals in Abu Dhabi
Captains at the toss:
Steve Smith: "He (Stokes) has put up okay fortunately, good to go tonight. The equation is pretty simple for us. We need to keep winning, hopefully we can start tonight. We have to bowl first, restrict them and chase it down. We will see how we go (about his batting position). I found a bit of rhythm the other day which was nice and hopefully can carry on. We have got one change - Rajpoot comes in for Unadkat."
MS Dhoni:"We will bat first. It is a used wicket and chances are it may slow down as the game progresses. He won't be available for the next few games. Injuries are not only our concern but the other franchises as well, that's because the players have not played for a long time. You spoke about it and that's how I got to know. It's just a number. I have been fortunate to have played so many games. We have a couple of changes - Hazlewood and Chawla in."

Pitch Report:
"It is the same pitch that was used yesterday, so the dimensions also don't change. Teams will be looking to that short boundary which is 63 meters and also there's a short straight boundary which is 59 meters. It looks a lot drier than yesterday, there's an uneven covering of grass which will play into the hands of the bowlers. The average first innings score here is 167" - Daren Ganga and JP Duminy
Hello and welcome to the live coverage of Match 37 of the Indian Premier League 2020 between Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals in Abu Dhabi.
STATS THAT MATTER
* MS Dhoni will become the first player to feature in 200 IPL games.
* CSK have lost the fewest wickets in the middle-overs (12) while RR have lost the most (27). Interestingly, both score at the same rate in this phase - 7.68.
* Sanju Samson, the man-of-the-match in the reverse fixture, has scored just 77 runs in his last seven innings and has batted just 73 balls.

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