MS Dhoni's 200th match as Chennai Super Kings captain proved to be a spectacle, with the match against Rajasthan Royals featuring a last-over thriller. Chasing a target of 176 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Dhoni came to bat in the 16th over with CSK on 113/6.
Courtesy to some swashbuckling batting displays by Ravindra Jadeja and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, CSK reached 155/6 in 19 overs. They needed 21 off the last over, and RR captain Sanju Samson handed the ball to veteran Sandeep Sharma.
The first two balls of the over were wide, bringing the equation down to 19 off six balls. Sandeep bowled a dot ball, and then the vintage Dhoni was back. The CSK skipper hit two huge sixes, bringing the equation down to seven needed off three balls. Dhoni took a single off the fourth delivery, followed by another single by Jadeja.
Dhoni was back on strike, and CSK needed a six from their captain to win, but ultimately Sandeep bowled a yorker outside off, and Dhoni could only take a single. CSK lost by three runs, but Dhoni had turned back the clock and showed the world that he still had what it takes to perform under pressure.
Earlier, Rajasthan Royals opted to bat first and captain Jos Buttler started with his synonymous aggressive style, posting his 18th half century in the IPL, helping the Royals post a respectable score of 175 for 8.
At the end of 15 overs, the Royals were 135 for 4. However, the last five overs were not as productive as they would have hoped, as they only added 40 runs and lost four wickets in the process. Ravindra Jadeja was the pick of the bowlers for the Super Kings, taking 2 wickets for 21 runs in his 4 overs.
Despite the challenging pitch, Buttler hit three big sixes in his 36-ball-52. He had a good partnership of 77 runs for the second wicket with Devdutt Padikkal, who scored 38 runs off 26 balls. Padikkal had struggled in the previous match against Punjab Kings, but he was back in form in this match.
Towards the end of the innings, Shimron Hetmyer played a vital role in finishing strong, scoring 30 runs off 18 balls. Tushar Deshpande also contributed to the Royals' total, taking 2 wickets for 37 runs and conceding only 8 runs in the final over of the innings.
