STOKING THE FIRE
BEN STOKES RODS FUEL TO RR'S HOPES OF MAKING THE PLAY-OFFS WHILE RUTURAJ GREKWAD HELPS CSK END LOSING STREAK
Rajasthan’s Ben Stokes ( 107 not out) and Sanju Samson ( 54 not out) made a mockery of a target of 196 Mumbai had set for them as they helped overhaul it with eight wickets and nearly two overs to spare in the second IPL match on Sunday. It was Stokes’s second IPL century and his highest score in T20s. RR ended their innings on 196 for two wickets in 18.2 overs in reply to table toppers MI’s 195/ 5 in 20 overs.
Despite the defeat, MI remain perched at the top position with 14 points from 11 matches while RR moved to the sixth place with 10 points from 12 games. The competition for the fourth is heating up. Each team plays 14 league matches, at the end of which the top four teams qualify for the final, to be played on November 10.
Stokes’s century not only garnered a muchneeded win for the Royals — who are still afloat in the league — but also outshone Hardik Pandya’s blitzkrieg ( 60 not out, off 21 balls) which had earlier propelled MI to a competitive looking total. Stokes’s masterclass was decorated with 14 fours and three sixes while Samson’s innings contained four fours and three sixes.
Earlier, Chennai finally tasted victory after a hat- trick of defeats as they beat Bangalore by eight wickets. It was a low- scoring match as CSK’s clinical bowling performance restricted RCB to 145/ 6 in the allotted 20 overs. The three- time champions then rode on opener Ruturaj Gaikwad’s ( 65 not out) measured knock to finish things off with eight balls and as many wickets to spare.