Chennai Super Kings (145/5) broke the deadlock against Rajasthan Royals (141/5) at Chepauk on Sunday as they edged closer to the playoffs. Rajasthan Royals came to bat on a scratchy afternoon and scored 141 runs thanks to Riyan Parag (47/35) and Dhruv Jurel’s (28/18) late attack. CSK team cruised to victory with a mature innings from Ruturaj Gaikwad (42/41) and collective support from Rachin Ravindra (27/18) and Daryl Mitchell (22/13).
Rajasthan Royals won the toss, but their decision to bat first backfired spectacularly. Jos Buttler (21/25) and Sanju Samson (15/19) batted with strike rates below 100 on the slow Chepauk pitch. Chennai’s Simarjeet Singh (3/26) and Tushar Deshpande (2/30) dominated the proceedings and prevented Rajasthan from breaking free.
In the chase, Rachin Ravindra led a charge that tore all pressure from the slow pitch. With the captain’s knock from Ruturaj Gaikwad and some help from Daryl Mitchell and Shivam Dube (18/11), Chennai easily chased down the score. 
With this win, Chennai are in complete control of their destiny as they must win their last game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru to seal their qualification. They are currently third in the table with seven wins and six losses. Rajasthan Royals, however, should rethink their plans after this loss as they have now lost three consecutive games and their qualification is not yet sealed.
Here are the five moments that defined this game.
Simarjeet Singh’s breakthrough after break
Rajasthan Royals batted cautiously in the powerplay with just 42 runs. Though they didn’t lose any wickets, they couldn’t get their usual rhythm going. With Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal (24/21) at the crease, Rajasthan’s innings was expected to explode after powerplay. However, Simarjeet came up as a breaker for them. Delhi’s pacer took out the dangerous Jaiswal in the 7th over, who could have caused serious damage to Chennai’s bowlers.
Sanju Samson’s wicket
Sanju Samson has played a key role in Rajasthan’s batting line-up this season, and he has been successful on almost all occasions. In this match as well, Samson took his time and looked set for a big surge in the death overs. Samson, however, was overpowered by Simarjeet even before he could start his onslaught. At that moment, Rajasthan’s captain wicket was crucial, as he was the only experienced campaigner left in the lineup. Rajasthan’s total was greatly impacted by his wicket.
Thakur’s composure in death overs
Rajasthan Royals struggled to get their innings rolling, mainly due to Chennai’s inch-perfect bowling. RR had a chance to cover up all those things in death overs with Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel on the crease, but Shardul Thakur (0/32) stood in the way. With his variations, Thakur didn’t give an inch despite facing set batters in the death overs. In particular, his 19th over, in which he conceded only seven runs, was a game-changer.
Rachin Ravindra’s early take down
Everyone knew at half-time that 141 was just a par score, but the Rajasthan team can choke the game with early wickets. Ravindra, however, came with plans to end this strategy by attacking Sandeep Sharma (0/30) and Trent Boult (0/24) in the opening overs. He smashed Sandeep Sharma for 12 runs in his second over and Trent Boult for 12 runs in his third over, demonstrating CSK’s ruthless intentions. Despite his little innings of 27 runs, he gave Chennai a big head start in the chase.
Dube’s special against Ashwin
After a rapid start courtesy of Rachin and Mitchell, Rajasthan made a small comeback with their spinners. In the 13th over, Chennai were at 92 runs with Gaikwad on crease battling with a strike rate of less than 100 which was not a good situation. Shivam Dube, who came to the crease just over a minute ago, took Ravi Ashwin (2/35) down. He smashed Rajasthan’s main bowler for 15 runs which only released all pressure but made the equation easy of 35 runs from 36 balls.
Chennai’s win came at a crucial time, as a loss to Rajasthan Royals could have ended their dreams. After this win, they have climbed to third place, but still have to win the last game to make the playoffs. Their next match is a virtual knockout against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Saturday at Chinnaswamy. The Parimatch odds for that game are 1.90x for Chennai. Having suffered three losses in a row, the Rajasthan Royals must revamp their strategies. They have not qualified officially, and more losses could endanger their position in the top two. Rajasthan Royals will now return to home where they will host Punjab Kings. For that match, Parimatch odds are at 1.68x rate.
