Nitish Rana delivered a scintillating 36-ball 81, while leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga starred with a four-wicket haul as Rajasthan Royals (RR) edged past Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by six runs in a hard-fought Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter on Sunday.
Promoted to No. 3, Rana exhibited sheer dominance over the CSK bowlers, hammering 10 boundaries and five sixes in his explosive knock.
Despite his heroics, RR struggled towards the latter half of their innings and managed a par total of 182 for nine.
Chasing 183, CSK faltered yet again in their pursuit of a 180-plus target—something they have not successfully achieved since 2019.
The chase revolved around skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad’s composed 63, but his effort ultimately fell short as CSK slumped to their second consecutive defeat, finishing at 176 for six.
The legend of Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s last-over heroics in the IPL is gradually fading, as he failed to muscle big shots off Maheesh Theekshana and Sandeep Sharma in the decisive moments.
CSK’s chase started on a shaky note, with Jofra Archer delivering a wicket-maiden in the third over, dismissing Rachin Ravindra (0). A brief counterattack from Rahul Tripathi (23) and Gaikwad saw CSK reach 42 for one in the powerplay.
Hasaranga made an immediate impact, removing Tripathi, caught by Shimron Hetmyer.
Shivam Dube (18) looked threatening, smashing two sixes off the Sri Lankan spinner, but a moment of brilliance from stand-in captain Riyan Parag proved to be the turning point.
Parag dived full stretch to his right at cover, pulling off a stunning catch to dismiss Dube.
Hasaranga continued to tighten the noose, dismissing Vijay Shankar (9) soon after he hit a towering six. Gaikwad, battling single-handedly, reached his half-century in 37 balls but fell to Hasaranga’s guile as CSK collapsed to 129 for five.
With 39 needed off 12 balls, Dhoni (16) evoked cheers from the crowd with a four over short third and a monstrous six over long-on off a wayward Tushar Deshpande.
Ravindra Jadeja (32) joined in, dispatching a sweep for six over deep backward square leg.
Tasked with defending 20 runs in the final over, Sandeep Sharma delivered a masterclass under pressure, removing Dhoni courtesy of a stunning Hetmyer catch to ensure RR’s victory.
Earlier, RR suffered an early setback when opener Yashasvi Jaiswal departed in the opening over after striking a boundary.
However, Rana took charge, forging an 82-run stand off 42 balls with Sanju Samson (20) to lay a strong foundation.
Rana showcased his impeccable shot selection, executing flicks, pulls, and ramps for sixes while employing the slog sweep to great effect against Ravichandran Ashwin.
His blitz saw RR amass 79 for one in the powerplay—their third-highest total in IPL history.
However, Ashwin had the final say, deceiving Rana with a wide delivery that the batter failed to reach, allowing Dhoni to complete a sharp stumping.
RR’s momentum took a hit with the dismissals of Dhruv Jurel and Wanindu Hasaranga, reducing them to 140 for five by the 15th over.
In the 17th over, Parag (37) launched Noor Ahmad for a four and a six before falling to Matheesha Pathirana. Shimron Hetmyer’s 19-run cameo, including a four and a six, helped RR scrape past the 180-run mark.
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