IPL 2024: Ruturaj Gaikwad's sedate knock after Simarjeet's 3-fer hand RR hat-trick of defeats as CSK inch closer to playoffs with easy win

Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad led from the front and steered Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to an emphatic five-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals (RR) at Chepauk in their IPL 2024 clash on May 12. With this win, CSK took a step towards coveted playoff berth while RR suffered their third straight defeat. 

CSK first restricted RR to a lowly total of 141/5 riding on Simarjeet Singh's brilliant three-fer. In reply, Ruturaj kept his cool and scored a sedate 42 off 41 to take CSK past finishing line. With this victory, CSK jumped to the third spot in the points table while RR remain unaffected on second place. The road to the playoffs is getting tight for the defending champions. Currently, on 14 points from 13 games, CSK require a win in their remaining match to make it to the top four.

The atmosphere crackled with excitement at Chennai's last home game of the season. Stands were adorned with special tifos celebrating their beloved MS Dhoni. Pop culture references like "Thala Pola Varuma?" (Is Thala [Dhoni] coming back?) and "Yellorukum Thanks" (Thank You Yellow [CSK]) reflected the city's adoration for their former skipper. Even social media buzzed with a request from CSK, urging fans to stay back for a special tribute after the match.

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Ruturaj's sensible knocks steers CSK home

Chasing a modest target of 142, CSK openers Gaikwad and Rachin Ravindra got off to a steady start, adding 32 runs for the first wicket. However, Ashwin put a halt to the partnership, dismissing Ravindra with a caught-and-bowled effort. Daryl Mitchell, brought in as a replacement, provided a quickfire cameo of 22 runs off just 13 deliveries before Yuzvendra Chahal trapped him LBW. Moeen Ali and Shivam Dube followed in quick succession, dismissed by Nandre Burger and Ravichandran Ashwin respectively.

Throughout the chase, Gaikwad remained the anchor, playing a composed innings. Dube, too, found some form, smashing three boundaries (including a six) off Ashwin's bowling before being dismissed on the last ball of the over. A controversial dismissal followed, with Jadeja adjudged out for obstructing the field. Youngster Sameer Rizvi came in as the impact player and played a crucial role in the closing stages. A couple of boundaries from his bat brought the equation down to single digits. In the penultimate over, Rizvi slammed two more boundaries, sealing the victory for CSK with 1.8 overs to spare. The win was met with a thunderous roar from the crowd, celebrating not only the two points but also their 50th home victory in the IPL.

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Simarjeet Singh dazzles with the ball

Earlier, CSK displayed exceptional bowling performance to restrict RR to a modest total of 141/5. Pacer Simarjeet Singh emerged as the hero for CSK, claiming his best IPL performance of 3 wickets for 26 runs. Opting to bat first, Rajasthan's openers started cautiously against the tight bowling of Tushar Deshpande and Maheesh Theekshana. The slow wicket further hampered their scoring, with the first boundary coming only in the third over. The powerplay yielded just six boundaries, including a solitary six by Yashasvi Jaiswal.

Simarjeet made the crucial breakthrough in the seventh over, dismissing the dangerous Jaiswal for 24 runs. Captain Sanju Samson (15 off 19 balls) also failed to capitalize, as Simarjeet struck again in the ninth over, sending back the explosive Jos Buttler (21 off 25 balls).

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Riyan Parag (47* off 35 balls) emerged as the lone bright spark for Rajasthan. He was reprieved by Theekshana at 15 and later benefitted from another dropped catch by Sameer Rizvi off Shardul Thakur when on 36. Despite these lifelines, Parag and Dhruv Jurel (28 off 18 balls) could only manage a late flourish against the disciplined bowling attack of CSK. Tushar Deshpande, economical throughout his spell, cleaned up Jurel and Shubham Dubey in the final over, restricting Rajasthan to an underwhelming total. The dropped catches might have been costly, but Simarjeet's three-wicket haul and CSK's overall bowling discipline proved decisive in containing the Royals.

CSK will next take on RCB on May 18 while RR will take on PBKS on May 15.

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