IPL 2020 Highlights, CSK vs RR Match, Full Cricket Score: Rajasthan Royals clinch victory by seven wickets

Man of the Match, Jos Buttler speaks after the match:

We’ve let a couple of games slip, the last two specifically, so it’s nice to get the win on the board tonight.

I think I tried to come out with a bit of intensity in my batting. Reflecting on the last game, that’s something that I think I did not do, so I thought I’d try to give myself a few more options. Once I managed to get a couple of boundaries away, I started feeling more comfortable at the crease.

It’s a nice feeling to have played a few different shots tonight, sometimes in T20 cricket you can kid yourself into thinking that you’ve faced a lot of balls and you’re running out of time. Tonight the target wasn’t as tough, so I could really take my time and grow into the match. 

Batting at five is good. I’m happy to bat wherever the team needs me, so if that’s the direction we’re going in, I’m just happy to do the job.

Rajasthan Royals captain Steve Smith speaks after the match:

It was a different game the last time, Sharjah’s a bit different to playing here. The wicket today was a bit stoppy, so it wasn’t easy to bat on. Strange game, but nice to be on the winning side of it.

I thought we bowled very well in the powerplay, and the spinners did a very good job in the middle. They were bowling great, changing it up and really squeezing Chennai. We built a lot of pressure and I think they did a magnificent job.

Rahul Tewatia and Shreyas Gopal are doing an excellent job for us. Shreyas has been great for us for a couple of years, and Tewatia this year, whether it’s batting, bowling or fielding, he’s done really well.

It looked like Buttler was batting on a different surface, didn’t it? It took the pressure off me at the other end, I could get him on strike and he just played his game. When he’s performing like that, you know you can do well. It was a good innings on a tough surface.

I didn’t know I’d edged the ball! That’s why I started walking off, but Jos said that he thought I’d hit it, and a few of the boys said they heard a sound, so I was fortunate.

After 18 overs,Rajasthan Royals 126/3 ( Steven Smith (C) 26 , Jos Buttler 70)

That’s that, Rajasthan Royals have won this crucial match-up at the bottom of the IPL table. They looked like they were on top from the very beginning, as some excellent bowling from the likes of Jofra Archer, Kartik Tyagi and Rahul Tewatia restricted CSK to a measly total of 125. The Royals’ batting began with a few bumps here and there, as they lost three wickets in quick succession, but Steve Smith and Jos Buttler combined excellently to carry them to victory. Buttler was especially impressive, scoring an imperious 70 from 48 balls.

After 17 overs,Rajasthan Royals 124/3 ( Steven Smith (C) 25 , Jos Buttler 69)

Chawla’s back, and the task facing him is Herculean. Can he prevent what looks inevitable? Doesn’t look like it, the first ball is hammered for a boundary by Steve Smith at deep midwicket! A single changes strike and Buttler one-ups Smith with a six! Jadeja looked like he was going to catch it at long-on, but his momentum carried him over the rope. 3 needed in three overs.

After 16 overs,Rajasthan Royals 112/3 ( Steven Smith (C) 20 , Jos Buttler 62)

Thakur’s back, and this over will have to be the over of overs if CSK still plan on winning this match. He starts off on a promising note, with back to back dot balls, but then gives away four singles in a row. Just 14 needed from 24 balls, and we head into a strategic timeout.

After 15 overs,Rajasthan Royals 108/3 ( Steven Smith (C) 18 , Jos Buttler 60)

What an over for Jos Buttler! The Englishman has looked in fine form in this innings, but he really seemed to cut loose in this over, and it’s Chawla who is victim to his wrath. He hits three boundaries in a row, to long-off, backward point and long-on respectively to bring up his fifty! 16 runs off the over, and they need just 18 from 30 now. There might be some more big shots coming up soon though, they’ll want to boost the net run rate as much as possible.

After 14 overs,Rajasthan Royals 92/3 ( Steven Smith (C) 15 , Jos Buttler 47)

Shardul Thakur’s turn to bowl, and it’s another over that’s too expensive for Chennai Super Kings to afford. A couple of singles, a double, and a rare Steve Smith boundary, that’s delicately lifted into the empty fine leg boundary.

After 13 overs,Rajasthan Royals 83/3 ( Steven Smith (C) 9 , Jos Buttler 44)

Piyush Chawla gets a turn to bowl, and Dhoni is clearly trying to curtail Buttler’s hitting. It works, to an extent. Just four off the over, but RR will hardly be stressing.

After 13 overs,Rajasthan Royals 83/3 ( Steven Smith (C) 9 , Jos Buttler 44)

Piyush Chawla gets a turn to bowl, and Dhoni is clearly trying to curtail Buttler’s hitting. It works, to an extent. Just four off the over, but RR will hardly be stressing.

After 12 overs,Rajasthan Royals 79/3 ( Steven Smith (C) 8 , Jos Buttler 41)

There’s a huge, huge appeal from Thakur on the first ball of the over, he thinks it’s caught an edge before carrying to Dhoni. The umpire isn’t bothered, and CSK can’t review, because they have no more challenges remaining. Buttler and Smith run a quick double, before Buttler hits a boundary! It carries over point. Oh no, he’s only gone and hit a maximum! That was a big six, it sailed over mid-off! This is a huge over for RR. Another single makes it 13 runs from it.

After 11 overs,Rajasthan Royals 66**/**3 ( Steven Smith (C) 8 , Jos Buttler 28)

Sam Curran’s on to complement Thakur, and his first delivery is flicked to fine leg by Buttler for two. Buttler and Smith are really fit athletes, and they showcase it by sprinting full-tilt for another double. After the chaos of the first few overs, things have settled down a bit for the Royals. They’re ticking along quite nicely at the moment, unless Chennai can get a wicket soon, it still doesn’t seem like they have much of a chance of winning it. Royals need 60 runs in 54 balls.

After 10 overs,Rajasthan Royals 59/3 ( Steven Smith (C) 7 , Jos Buttler 23)

Shardul Thakur’s turn to bowl now. The first delivery is venomous, Buttler tries to push it away but misses and it whistles past the wicket. Second’s a wide. Buttler gets a double on the next, and then manages to just about beat a sprinting fielder on the boundary line at midwicket. Another single and a couple of dots make it 8 off the over.

After 9 overs,Rajasthan Royals 51/3 ( Steven Smith (C) 7 , Jos Buttler 16)

Hazlewood’s back for his fourth, and he starts with a dot ball. Single on the second, and then Buttler pulls one to deep square. It’s stopped on the line, but the RR batsmen run two. Buttler then lofts over mid-on and the ball races away for four. A dot and a single make it 8 off the over, as we head into a strategic timeout.

After 8 overs,Rajasthan Royals 43/3 ( Steven Smith (C) 6 , Jos Buttler 9)

Deepak Chahar changes ends for his final over of the night. The first couple of deliveries are pitched outside off, and the length is pretty good. Both dots. The third is a bit telegraphed, and Smith does well to run a quick two runs after a misfield in the covers. A couple of dot balls and a single follow, as Chahar ends with 18-2. What a performance from the pacer.

Jos Buttler batting SR at different positions in IPL:

Opening: 157.4 (31 innings)
No.4: 141.8 (5 innings)
No.5: 121.5 (15 innings)
No.6: 155.3 (3 innings)

After 7 overs,Rajasthan Royals 40/3 ( Steven Smith (C) 3 , Jos Buttler 9)

Ravindra Jadeja’s brought into the bowling attack, and we’ll have a bit of spin. RR’s spinners had some success, will the ball turn as well for CSK? First ball’s a single and Buttler is on strike. What can he bring to RR’s innings? Well, to begin with, he’s got them a boundary. He gets down expertly and reverse sweeps out to the point boundary. A double and a couple of singles make it 9 off the over.

After 6 overs,Rajasthan Royals 31/3 ( Steven Smith (C) 1 , Jos Buttler 2)

Hazlewood’s first delivery is a scorcher that catches Smith on the pads! It’s given not-out, but on replay, that looks very, very good. MS Dhoni seems to think so too, he reviews it. There’s the slightest hint of a nick on the Ultra Edge, the decision is maintained. Another unsuccessful review. Hazlewood gives away just three runs in the over, this is great bowling.

After 5 overs,Rajasthan Royals 28/3 ( Steven Smith (C) 0 , Jos Buttler 0)

These have been two very, very good overs for Chennai Super Kings, but such was the impotence of their batting that the task facing Royals is still looking pretty straightforward. If Chahar can maybe finagle another wicket in this over, it would truly be worrying for Rajasthan. And that’s what he does! This is the best possible start for CSK. Sanju Samson is sent back to the pavilion after the tiniest of edges carries to MS Dhoni, who dives excellently to catch. It’s also a maiden over from Chahar. He’s single-handedly saving CSK’s hide tonight.

After 4 overs,Rajasthan Royals 28/2 ( Sanju Samson (W) 0 , Steven Smith (C) 0)

Hazlewood’s going to bowl the fourth over, and he begins by conceding a double, after Uthappa chips over mid-on. Oh my, RR have lost another wicket! Uthappa tried to be cute with his shot and lift the ball over MS Dhoni, but there’s not nearly enough power in that, and Dhoni takes it with ease. The playing field has been levelled! Captain Smith comes in for the Royals, and the first four deliveries he faces are all dots.

After 3 overs,Rajasthan Royals 26/1 ( Robin Uthappa 2 , )

Chahar’s back, and he’ll be hoping to have a more economical over this time around, A couple of singles and dots, and the fifth delivery is absolutely walloped by Ben Stokes! He’s happy with that one! Oh. His happiness doesn’t last long. He chops on to the wicket on the next ball, and he’s gone.

After 2 overs,Rajasthan Royals 20/0 ( Ben Stokes 14 , Robin Uthappa 1)

Hazlewood’s in to bowl, and the first ball is expensive. It’s short and into the hips, and it glances off of Uthappa and races away for four byes. A single to follow, and then a couple of dots. It’s four more runs on the fifth delivery, as a stinging bouncer from Hazlewood hits Stokes’ gloves and races away to the boundary. A single makes it 10 runs off the over and this chase is looking like it could be over quite quickly.

After 1 overs,Rajasthan Royals 10/0 ( Ben Stokes 9 , Robin Uthappa 0)

Deepak Chahar gets Chennai’s bowling attack underway, and he needs to be as miserly as possible. His first ball is nice and tight, but the second is hammered away by Ben Stokes for four! The next delivery is a bit better, it’s a dangerous outswinger, but then Chahar gives away five runs on the next ball through no fault of his own. It was a terrible overthrow from Rayudu, and already, that feels costly. Chahar then bowls a peach of a delivery, which hits Uthappa on the pads. Chahar fights for it to be reviewed after the umpire declares not-out, and Dhoni acquiesces. It’s unsuccessful. 10 runs off that first over.

After 20 overs,Chennai Super Kings 125/5 ( Ravindra Jadeja 35 , Kedar Jadhav 4)

Stokes bowls the final over of the innings. There’s a catching chance as Jadhav fails with his timing. Jofra runs and guess what? He drops the catch at long-off. A not so good day for the Englishman on the field. Seven off the over from Stokes. CSK end up with 125-5 after 20 overs. Rajasthan should get these easily but cricket, especially T20 cricket is a funny game. Time for a small break.