CSK BEAT RR BY 64 RUNS
KKR vs KXIP in Kolkata at 2.30pm RCB vs DD in Bengaluru at 6.30pm
PUNE: A dominant Chennai Super Kings beat Rajasthan Royals by 64 runs in their Indian Premier League encounter on Friday.
With this win, CSK now have six points in the IPL standings, with three wins.
A fantastic 106-run knock by opener Shane Watson propelled CSK to 204 for the loss of five wickets.
In reply, the visitors lost wickets at regular intervals and were bundled out for 140 in 18.3 overs. Ben Stokes’ 37-ball 45 was the standout performance for the visitors as they struggled to build a partnership and keep the momentum going.
Heinrich Klaasen (7) had a debut to forget, while Ajinkya Rahane managed just 16 runs.
The CSK bowlers did their task right, with as many as four bowlers taking two wickets each. While Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Karn Sharma and Dwayne Bravo picked up two wickets each, Imran Tahir and Shane Watson got one wicket each.
Earlier, the Australian all-rounder took just 51 deliveries to bring up his third IPL century, guided by nine boundaries and six sixes at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium.
Put in to bat, Chennai were off to a decent start as openers Watson and Ambati Rayudu (12) shared a 50-run partnership for the opening wicket in 4.2 overs.
Medium pacer Ben Laughlin drew the first blood for Rajasthan as he sent back Rayudu in the fifth over.
Watson was then joined by Suresh Raina and the duo stitched together a 81-run partnership for the second wicket. Raina chipped in with a crucial 47-run knock before falling in the 12th over to a Shreyas Gopal delivery which left CSK on 131/2.
CSK then lost the wickets of Mahendra Singh Dhoni (5) and Sam Billings (3) with the addition of another 30 runs. It was leggie Shreyas again, who struck to dismiss both the Chennai batters.
Meanwhile, Watson kept the scoreboard ticking and added 41 runs with Dwayne Bravo to take CSK past the 200-run mark. Bravo remained unbeaten on 24 runs facing 16 balls.
The Australian all-rounder however, fell in the last over but it was too late for Rajasthan as CSK posted a massive 205-run target against them.