Guwahati: Nitish Rana smashed a blistering 36-ball 81, while leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga starred with a four-wicket haul as the Rajasthan Royals (RR) opened their account with a hard-fought six-run victory over the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL here on Sunday.
Promoted to number 3, left-handed Rana dominated the CSK bowlers, hitting 10 boundaries and 5 sixes en route his scintillating knock but Royals struggled towards back-end just about manage a par-score of 182 for 9.
CSK, who had never successfully chased a target over 180 since 2019, faltered again, managing 176 for six in the allotted overs. The chase was built around skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad’s 63, but it wasn’t enough as CSK succumbed to their second consecutive loss.
Ravindra Jadeja (32 off 22 balls)* and MS Dhoni (16 off 11) attempted to reignite CSK’s hopes with a late flourish. Dhoni injected momentum with a six and a four in the penultimate over, where Tushar Deshpande conceded 19 runs. Jadeja followed up with a six to keep CSK in the hunt.
However, with 20 runs needed off the final over, Sandeep Sharma held his nerve, conceding just 13 runs. The defining moment came when Shimron Hetmyer made a stunning catch to dismiss Dhoni, ensuring RR’s hard-fought victory.
Earlier, Nitish Rana’s blistering 81 off 36 balls, featuring 10 fours and five sixes, had put RR on course for a 200-plus total.
However, CSK mounted a strong comeback in the death overs, with Matheesha Pathirana, Noor Ahmad, and Khaleel Ahmed picking up two wickets each, restricting RR to 182/9.
Despite their late fightback with the ball, Hasaranga’s magic with the ball proved decisive, ensuring RR edged past CSK in a last-over thriller.
Brief scores:
Rajasthan Royals 182/9; 20 overs (Nitish Rana 81, Riyan Parag 37; Noor Ahmad 2/28, Matheesha Pathirana 2/28, Khaleel Ahmed 2/38) b Chennai Super Kings 176/6 (Ruturaj Gaikwad 63, Ravindra Jadeja 32 not out; Wanindu Hasaranga 4/35) by six runs.
