CSK's valiant effort led by their skipper, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, fell short as Rajasthan Royals secured a nail-biting three-run victory in the 2023 IPL at MA Chidambaram Stadium on Wednesday.
Chasing a target of 176, CSK's Rituraj Gaikwad fell early for just eight runs, but Devon Conway and Ajinkya Rahane recovered well to reach 78/1 in the 10th over. Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal's impressive bowling hampered CSK's chase, with Ashwin dismissing Rahane and Shivam Dube, while Chahal sent back Moeen Ali and Ambati Rayudu. Devon Conway's 50 kept CSK's hopes alive, but when he fell to Chahal, they looked down and out.
With 40 needed off the last 12 deliveries, MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja pulled CSK to 21 off six and then seven off three deliveries, setting up a thrilling final over. Dhoni hit two sixes off Sandeep Sharma's last over, leaving CSK needing five runs off the final delivery. However, Sharma bowled a superb yorker, denying Dhoni the glory on his milestone day.
Earlier, after deciding to bowl first, CSK restricted Rajasthan Royals to 175/8 in 20 overs. In response, CSK managed 172/6, losing by a narrow margin.
The match saw some impressive individual performances, with Ashwin and Chahal's bowling for Rajasthan Royals and Dhoni's valiant 32 not out off 17 balls for CSK. Ultimately, however, it was Rajasthan Royals who emerged victorious in a thrilling last-ball edge-of-the-seat encounter.
Brief scores:
Rajasthan Royals 175/8 in 20 overs (Jos Buttler 52, Devdutt Padikkal 38, R Ashwin 30, Shimron Hetmyer 30 not out; Ravindra Jadeja 2-21, Tushar Deshpande 2-37, Akash Singh 2-40) beat Chennai Super Kings 172/6 in 20 overs (Devon Conway 50, Ajinkya Rahane 31, M.S Dhoni 32 not out, Ravindra Jadeja 25 not out; r Ashwin 2-25, Yuzvendra Chahal 2-27) by 3 runs.