Batting depth, spin twins Moeen Ali and Ravindra Jadeja seal it for Chennai Super Kings
With Royals slipping from 87 for 2 to 95 for 7, they were beaten long before the match ended
With Royals slipping from 87 for 2 to 95 for 7, they were beaten long before the match ended
Scorer: Chandan Duorah | Commentator: Varun Shetty
11.40pm That is all tonight. Thanks for joining us and see you tomorrow!
Moeen Ali: No. 3 currently is the No. 1 player in the world [at England], my job is to score as many runs here. It's just the way I play. I don't try and overhit the ball. It was nice, it wasn't an easy wicket. It was quite difficult initially. The three wickets - it depends on when you come on to bowl. It was a fantastic time for me to come on to bowl, there were two left-handers. I have a rough idea, one the left-hander came in, I thought I'd be bowling. I'm always ready. The ball changed and that was a bit drier, that helped. I think it was a good wicket to bowl for both teams.
Moeen Ali is the Player of the Match.
MS Dhoni: I always look at what's the best to do at any point of time. When you keep doing it, they're always under the pump [the same bowlers in the powerplay]. Deepak there was a bit of miscalculation with the knuckle delivery. So I felt a good start was important. Even the wet ball was spinning. I don't really mind Jos playing reverse sweep. If the wet ball was turning then the chance of the dry ball turning is high. It was good to have Moeen, it was turning a bit. The wicket became a bit more sticky. Glad we scored 180, I thought we could have got more. The first six balls I played could have cost us in another game. A lot has changed. The way we have prepared, the way we have turned down. The bowlers have been under the pump last year also, so they're used t the conditions. Getting old and being fit - those are two difficult things! When you're playing you don't want anyone to call you unfit. I have to keep up with youngers guys, they run a lot, but it's always challenging.
Sam Curran: We started off badly against Delhi, we didn't adjust to the conditions. But the last two games we've adjusted. The way we've played with our long batting line-up, it's given that freedom. I've actually never played for Chennai in Chennai, but from the chat in the group the wicket's been slow and suited us. Our whole middle order can bat anywhere, that gives you some freedom.
Sanju Samson: I think it was a good score to chase down, but we lost too many wickets in the middle. I think our bowlers bowled really well but they batted very deep. Maybe 10-15 runs extra conceded in the end. We never expected that [the spinners]. The dew didn't come, the ball was turning and that was a bit shocking to see. I think it's very important to maintain a good composure throughout the tournament. This format demands scoring runs at a high risk rate. Sakariya has been doing really well. We've lost but definitely there are positives.
Amit: "Ali took 3 wickets for just 7 runs in 3 overs, but Jadeja is in everyone's head"
mit: "CSK doing CSK things. Their win margins are always so comfortable that the NRR is always the highest. Always gives them a nice cushion."
Arpit: "New guidelines for batsmen batting second at wankhede - dont hit the ball in the stands if u want to keep hitting the wet ball"
Alex: "Rahul was speaking yesterday that the ball should be changed in the 10th over of the 2nd innings to make the game fair. We got to witness his words turn into reality today!!!"
Manu Ajmani: "Is DC the only team who has cracked the chasing code in this IPL? KKR, SRH and now RR crumbling!"
11.16pm A comfortable win for CSK in the end. Found a sliver of assistance for their spinners and that was enough to rip this chase apart. It's a team that excels like no other in conditions that aid spin, and we've seen resounding evidence of that. Ravindra Jadeja completely flipped the game with Buttler's wicket, twisting him up to hit the top of off. It was a blow from which Royals couldn't even muster half a comeback. Moeen Ali came on at the other end and had 3 for 3 at a point. Comprehensive collapse of the Royals batting tonight. The only saving grace is that they managed to get past 140. If this batting doesn't come together, it might be another season of trying to scrape through and NRR is all they could get out of this. Couldn't back up a decent bowling performance in the death overs, and could not come close to matching it with bat.
Vivaan : "Jadeja has played a part in 6 of the 9 dismissals, incredible
Abhishek Kumar: "PotM Jadeja, fielding for the entire team."
Afsar: "Feel like I'm watching replay of Jadeja catches!!! "
JD Unadkat c Jadeja b Thakur 24 (24m 17b 2x4 1x6) SR: 141.17
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According to Smart Stats Sam Curran's efforts with the ball came at a time when the opposition had a higher chance to win.
With Royals slipping from 87 for 2 to 95 for 7, they were beaten long before the match ended
Also, how big a role did the change of ball play in the outcome of the match?
Their contest could tell us if one of them could enjoy a dark-horse run deep into the IPL