ABU DHABI : A right royal batting performance by the Rajasthan Royals (RR) led by 28 year old Shivam Dube over powered Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to attain a much needed win by 7 wickets with 15 balls remaining. It was a high scoring match with brilliant batting performances by many young players from both teams.
Earlier RR won the toss and requested CSK to bat first. CSK’s Ruturaj Gaikwad continued his sensational form and reached an unbeaten century with a six in the last ball of the innings to help CSK to reach 189 for the loss of 4 wickets. The 24-year-old Gaikwad scored a scintillating century (101 runs not out) off 60 balls with 5 sixers and a strike rate of 168.33. He is now the proud owner of the ‘Orange Cap’. Ravindra Jadeja ably supported Gaikwad with 32 runs off 15 balls.
A massive score of 189 did not seem to have much effect on the Royals as the openers displayed extraordinary power hitting. Openers Evin Lewis (27 runs in 12 balls) and Y Jaiswal (50 off 21 balls) put together partnership of 77 runs for the first wicket in just 5.2 overs. Although both openers were back in the dressing room in the 6th over, Captain Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube continued the momentum of the run chase. Shivam Dube manhandled the CSK bowling with 4 Sixers and reached his maiden fifty in 31 balls and went on to score 64 runs off 42 balls.
RR reached 123 runs in the 10th over for the loss of 2 wickets while CSK in the 10th over was only 69 runs for 2 wickets.
At the end of the 15th over RR was only needing 25 runs off 30 balls with 8 wickets in hand. Dube’s batting powered RR to reach 190 runs in only 17.3 overs for the loss of 3 wickets.
RR’s brave effort grants valuable 2 points and a good run rate to go above Mumbai Indians in the points table. At present there are 4 teams (KKR, PBKS,RR and MI) with 10 points after 12 matches and RR stands at 6th place. The top 4 teams in the points table qualify for the play offs. CSK and DC are already qualified for the play off.
Ruturaj Gaikwad was named ‘Man of the Match’.