Match : 4
Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings
Here is the Review and Analysis for the match between Csk & RR
Toss Update : Chennai Super Kings won the toss and Elected to bowl First.
Team Update : For Csk, its one change from their previous match Ruthraj Gaikwad got a chance to play in this match replacing Ambati Raydu who was not played as he is not fit to play the match.For Rajasthan Royals, Steve Smith leading the game with Jofra Archer, Tom Curran & David Miller.
Rajasthan Royals Skipper Steve Smith came as an opener to replace Jos Butler’s place in opening slot , which was a bold move and the move worked for them well. On losing the early wicket of Yashasvi Jaswal , Sanju Samson came into the crease and started to clear the boundaries with huge sixes, the way he cleared the boundaries with confidence shows that he is also a capable contender for India’s Wicket Keeper position . After the great Start in powerplay, Samsun’s Scoring rate was so much powerful, he has hit around 9 sixes in this innings . He targeted the spin attack and cleared the short boundaries . Rajasthan Scored 79 Runs between 6 -10 overs which almost covers the run rate of 20 per over. Then, Lungi got the Sanju wicket with his variation, this in turn changed the momentum towards CSK . But one end Steve Smith played an attacking innings and scored 69 (47) . Here comes the turning point of the match , Jofra archer cameo innings completely took the game away from CSK innings, he came and played a blistering knock in 20th over against Ngidi and set the huge total 217 for CSK to chase on their second innings.
In Second Innings, with such a huge chase there is lot of eyes on match winners like Watson but he failed to capitalise the start and both openers got out early. Faf is playing a sensible knock on one end , on the other hand no one was hitting the ball to boundaries , if sam curran stayed in the crease for more than 10 balls, the game would be very interesting for Csk fans. Instead of sending Kedhav Jadhav & Gaikwad , if MSD would have stepped into the crease early like Steve Smith, it would have helped him to settle down in the game on reading the ball and finish as he lost his old finishing capability due to rustiness in the cricket for him . which cost the match by 16 runs. But Faf Duplessis played a sensational knock of 72(37) from his hand.
These are ideal situations for our chinna thala Suresh Raina, Csk definitely missing him as a No.3 batsman and part time bowler. If he played in this match , we may have seen the playoff match against KXIP in Mumbai.
Turning Point :
Sanju Samson Innings acceleration was the real key factor for Success of RR in this match as CSK don’t have many bowling options on their hand, he completely outplayed the strike bowlers Jadeja & Chawla .
Game Changing Moment:
Jofra Archer innings at the death was a game changing moment as CSK lost the match just short of 16 runs.
Man of the Match:
Sanju Samson Awarded man of the match for his brilliant knock of 74 with 9 monstrous sixes.
