CSK vs RR

Right then, the game did not have the poetic end it could have and the fairytale finish by MS Dhoni will have to wait for another time. Nonetheless, it has been a cracker of a contest and an absolute pleasure bringing it to you. Join us back tomorrow as the Punjab Kings will lock horns with Gujarat Titans! Stay tuned to Sportskeeda for the latest news and live coverage of matches from across the globe. Until next time then, this is me, Maanas Upadhyay, alongside Sooryanarayanan Sesha, bidding you adieu! Good night!

Ravichandran Ashwin (Player of the Match): I surprise people I guess. That's a role given to me at that point. We lost Sanju and I was sent there. I want to be there and just understand the situation. I have my strengths and I need to overcome my weaknesses. I am padded up right from the start in every innings and I don't get to bat very often but I'm happy. I am bowling really well, I am coming off a good Test series. I am getting the ball to drop a lot more now. I usually work a lot during the IPL but this time, I have taken a backseat and the bowling is just taking care of itself. I wouldn't be able to do this today if I didn't do what I did a couple of years ago. Even if it is a failure, it will be on my own terms. 

Sanju Samson (Rajasthan Royals captain): Absolutely! Credit to the boys for defending that type of total. Almost every bowler contributed very well. Everyone wanted to win here. I never had happy memories at Chepauk and we've never won here. Ball was stopping a bit and we wanted Zampa to come in as our impact player. If we got through to the powerplay and we had some good spinners. In the end also, I wanted to stretch the game. I wanted to finish the game early but it went to the last ball. It is never over until that guy is there in the middle (smiles). A lot of calls have been taken inside the ground. A lot of thought does go into it. Nothing works against him (MS Dhoni). 

Yuzvendra Chahal (who receives the Purple Cap from Sandeep): We saw how the spinners bowled in the first half. The wicket was gripping. I didn't want to give them the pace. This is my second season with Ashwin and we've bowled well together. Zampa has played for Australia and we keep discussing in the nets as to how to bowl. With Mahi bhai batting, self-belief was very important and Sandeep showed that self-belief to pull it off. When the game goes down to the wire, you know how much effort it takes. Belief is important there.

Sandeep Sharma (Rajasthan Royals): I wanted to execute my yorkers in the last over. I was bowling them in the nets. There were a couple of low full tosses and both went for sixes. After that I decided to go around the wicket. To Jaddu bhai I bowled over the wicket. He hit Jason very well when he bowled around the wicket. For Mahi bhai, I wanted to change the angle.

MS Dhoni (Chennai Super Kings captain): I think in the middle, we needed a bit more strike rotation. I don't think there was a lot for the spinners. Yes they were experienced spinners and they bowled the right lengths but I felt in that period we had too many dot balls. With the set batter and the new batter going in I don't think it was too difficult. So the ownership has to come from the batter. We were the last batting pair and early in the tournament you can go hard but if you lose too many wickets and you have too many runs, it hampers our net run-rate. So I think we had to keep it slightly late but it was not that period but it was the period before that where we could have taken more singles. You see the field, you see the bowler and you plan as to what the bowler's strength is. After that just stand still and wait for them to commit mistakes. I don't fancy too many things and do a lot of things. If they bowl the right areas then well done to them. (On Sandeep bowling around the wicket) I would wait for it (a loose one). At the end of the day the bowler is under pressure. Even if he misses by a few inches you can hit it for a sixes. You need to back your strength. We saw the amount of dew - yesterday also there was a lot of dew. After the first few overs when it goes into the outfield, it gets slightly easy. I think the bowlers did well. They had a good first six overs and that affected the end score but overall quite happy with the bowlers. The batters will score runs if we don't get too many wickets. What we had to do was not give too many boundary balls. I didn't really know that it was my 200th game (as captain). Nothing really changes, I'm not big for milestones. What's the difference between 199 and 200? What matters is how you turn up and enjoy your cricket. To be able to play for song, thanks to the Almighty since he has definitely helped me finish 200 games. But as I said, nothing really changes.

Rajasthan Royals 175/8 (20) beat Chennai Super Kings 172/6 (20) by 3 runs

Jos Buttler 52(36) | Ravindra Jadeja 2-21(4)
Devon Conway 50(38) | Ravichandran Ashwin 2-25(4)

What a game of cricket we have been treated to! Another absolute edge-of-the-seat thriller following up on the past few games and the IPL is well and truly back to it's competitive self. The target of 176 runs was not going to be an easy one, especially with the quality of spinners that the Rajasthan Royals possessed. The trio of Ashwin, Chahal and Zampa bowled beautifully and put their side on top right up until the very end, where Dhoni and Jadeja threatened to take the game away from the Royals. 

The Super Kings' batters didn't put up the best of performances, with Conway playing his way to a slow half-century. Moeen Ali could not get going as well and perhaps played a ball too many in the middle. In the end, there was far too much left for Dhoni and Jadeja to do, with CSK needing 40 runs off two overs. However, credit must be given to the pair - they held their nerve and took the game within striking distance. In the end, it's just a three run defeat but it will be the Royals who will take home the two points. 

Not too much went wrong for the Super Kings throughout the game and they will have a few positives to take from this game, like the form of Akash Singh, who was simply sensational initially. As for the Royals, they will need to work on their death bowling a touch as CSK almost took the game out of their grasp. However, they will be pleased with Padikkal's performance earlier in the night and might look to keep playing him at the number three position. 

19.6 Sandeep Sharma to MS Dhoni, SANDEEP HOLDS HIS NERVE! He has denied the greatest finisher the game has seen to breach the Chepauk fortress. Take a bow, Sandeep Sharma! Arrows a yorker just outside the off stump as Dhoni clears his front leg and shovels it out to deep mid-wicket. Only a single and the great man can't finish it off this time. What a match we've witnessed though - Rajasthan Royals hold on for dear life by 3 runs!

19.5 Sandeep Sharma to Ravindra Jadeja, BRILLIANT DELIVERY! Nails the yorker outside the off stump as Jadeja reaches for it and jams it out to extra cover for a single. 5 needed off 1. Super over, anyone?

19.4 Sandeep Sharma to MS Dhoni, back of a length delivery outside the off stump. Dhoni heaves it across the line but can't middle it as it rolls to deep mid-wicket for a single. Can Jadeja finish it off here?

19.3 Sandeep Sharma to MS Dhoni, SIX MORE! THE STADIUM ERUPTS! Low full toss at the stumps as he attempts a yorker. Dhoni holds his ground and swings with gay abandon as it flies flat over mid-wicket and just about clears the ropes again. Oh my word this is unbelievable!