An explosive half century from Nitish Rana, followed by Wanindu Hasaranga spinning a web, helped the Rajasthan Royals to thrilling six-run win over the Chennai Super Kings in their IPL clash at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Sunday night.
It was the Royals' first win of the competition, after suffering two losses in their opening two games, to lift them off the foot of the table while it was the Super Kings' second straight loss, leaving both teams on the same points near the bottom of the log.
In the match the Super Kings won the toss and chose to bowl, with Rana hammering a superb 81 off just 36 balls, crashing 10 fours and five sixes, to power his team to a par score of 182-9 in their 20 overs.
Hasaranaga then stood up in the Super Kings' chase, taking 4-35 in four overs, with most of his wickets important scalps at important times, including getting top scorer Ruturaj Gaikwad, 63 off 44 (7x4; 1x6), as they fell just short on 176-6.
Pink Prevail in a sea of Yellow 🙌#RR held their nerve to record their first win of the season by 6 runs 👍
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 30, 2025
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/V2QijpWpGO#TATAIPL | #RRvCSK | @rajasthanroyals pic.twitter.com/FeD5txyCUs
At the start of play the Super Kings got off to a good start with the early wicket of Yashasvi Jaiswal (4) popping a catch straight to Ravichandran Ashwin at mid-off off the bowling of Khaleel Ahmed.
That brought Rana in to join Sanju Samson (20) and he dominated an 82-run partnership off 42 balls, blazing his way to a 21-ball 50 as they put their side into a strong position.
Noor Ahmad made the breakthrough, having Samson caught by Rachin Ravindra at long off, but Rana found another willing partner in Riyan Parag, 37 off 28 (2x4; 2x6), and they took the Royals past 100 in the 11th over.
In the 12th Rana was continuing his assault and eyeing a hundred, as he launched Ashwin for six over wide long on and reverse swept him for four, but the bowler got his revenge as he sent a quicker wide ball away from the batter, with keeper MS Dhoni catching the ball and whipping off the bails to send him on his way.
A pure 𝐑𝐎𝐘𝐀𝐋ty knock! 👑
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 30, 2025
Nitish Rana wins the Player of the Match award for his match-winning innings that powered #RR to their first win of #TATAIPL 2025 🩷
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/V2QijpWpGO#RRvCSK | @rajasthanroyals | @NitishRana_27 pic.twitter.com/riiRnElkP7
At 124-3 with eight and a half overs still remaining, the Royals would have still been targeting a score in excess of 200, but the Super Kings produced a solid fightback over the closing overs, picking up seven wickets for just 58 runs, as only Shimron Hetmeyer (19) helped the batting cause.
THREE WICKETS IN THREE OVERS
The Super Kings' chase got off to a similar start to the Royals, as they lost an early wicket with Ravindra out for a fourth-ball duck, edging Jofra Archer behind to keeper Dhruv Jurel.
That brought Gaikwad in to join Rahul Tripathi (23), but they got off to a slow start, taking them to 28-1 after five overs, before a few lusty blows from Tripathi off Sandeep Sharma in the sixth over saw 14 off it, taking them to 42-1 at the end of the powerplay.
Hasaranga was brought into the attack in the eighth over and immediately made the breakthrough, having Tripathi caught by a diving Hetmeyer at deep midwicket with the score 46-2.
Shivam Dube (18) was the next batter in and he struck a couple of sixes and a four, before becoming Hasaranga’s second wicket in the 10th over, brilliantly caught one handed by a diving Parag, which saw the Super Kings reach the halfway stage on 74-3.
In the 12th over Hasaranga made it three wickets in three overs, bowling Vijay Shankar (9) with a viciously turning delivery, as the visitors slipped to 92-4.
At this point if they were to chase down the score the Super Kings would have needed Gaikwad to stay in until the end, but after reaching his half century, Hasaranga came in for his final over in the 16th, and after Gaikwad slogged him over deep midwicket for six, Hasaranga made the decisive breakthrough, having him caught by Jaiswal at long on, with the score 129-5 after 16 overs.
Needing 54 off the last 24 balls to win, Ravindra Jadeja, 32* off 22 (2x4; 1x6), MS Dhoni, 16 off 11 (1x4; 1x6), and Craig Overton, 11* off four (1x6), tried to get the Super Kings over the line, but it was too little too late in the end.
RAJASTHAN ROYALS: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag (capt), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Sandeep Sharma, Tushar Deshpande
CHENNAI SUPER KINGS: Rachin Ravindra, Rahul Tripathi, Ruturaj Gaikwad (capt), Vijay Shankar, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (wk), Jamie Overton, R Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, Matheesha Pathirana, Khaleel Ahmed