Jos Butler's 95 helps RR beat CSK by 4 wickets, stay alive in IPL 2018

Thanks to the brilliant 95-run innings of Jos Butler, Rajasthan Royals beat Chennai Super Kings by 4 wickets to stay alive in the VIVO Indian Premier League

In the 43rd match of VIVO Indian Premier League (IPL 2018), chasing 177, Rajasthan Royals beat Chennai Super Kings by 4 wickets at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. Willey was back into the attack in the death overs and Butler hit him for four. Bravo was brought into the attack and he bowled strict line. Butler got dropped again, but this time by Bravo. Binny wacked him for a six but he was dismissed the very next ball. Krisnappa Gowtham joined Butler. Out of desperation, Butler tried to scoop one over fine leg, but Doni dropped him. Willey came back and Gowtham wacked him for a six. And he did it again to Willey. But he edged it and Dhoni took a simple catch. Butler hit a huge six. And he got his team home with one ball to spare. His 95 run innings was exceptional since he opened the innings for Rajasthan Royals. The 95-run knock was the Jos Butler best one in IPL 2018. Though this win doesn't change the position of Rajasthan Royals on the VIVO IPL points table, it does make them stay alive in the tournament. 

Earlier, Shardul Thakur was introduced in the attack. Butler never looked under pressure. Jadeja is back in the attack. Butler once again showed his class and kept on scoring runs. Butler scores 5th consecutive fifty in the IPL. Sanju Samson too looked to accelerate and kept rotating the strike. Butler hit each and every bowler that was brought into the attack by Dhoni. Thakur was brought back and Sanju decided that he too was going to bash him. By the end of 9 overs, RR were at 85-2. Prior to that, Dwayne Bravo came to the attack and tried to contain the run flow. He gave just 3 runs in the over. Willey came to the attack, and Butler was on song and so was Samson. A huge mixup on the striker's end Samson sacrificed his wicket for Butler. He went for 21. Prashant Chopra came to the crease, making his debut today. RR were at 104-3 in 12 overs. 

Earlier, Jos Butler and Ben Stokes came to open the innings. David Wiley was into the attack. He was a man on a mission as he smashed three fours to Wiley. Butler made 13 runs in the opening over, setting the tone for the run chase. Harbhajan came to bowl the second over. But Butler was on fire as he used his pace to hit the ball to the fence. He hit him for a six. Ravindra  Jadeja came to the attack, Butler hit a four taking RR to 33-0. Harbhajan continues and Butler was fired up. Appeal for caught behind. NOT OUT. Soft signal was out but it was overturned. Stokes struggled but he finally dispatched Bhajji for a six before Bhajji cleaned him up. 

CSK vs RR SCOREBOARD

 

CSK vs RR SCOREBOARD: RAJASTHAN ROYALS
BATSMEN	Dismissal	Runs	Balls	4s	6s	SR
Jos Buttler	not out	95	60	11	2	158.33
Ben Stokes	b Harbhajan Singh	11	7	1	1	157.14
Ajinkya Rahane	c Raina b Jadeja	4	3	1	0	133.33
Sanju Samson	run out (Raina/Bravo)	21	22	2	0	95.45
Prashant Chopra	c Bravo b Thakur	8	6	2	0	133.33
Stuart Binny	c Watson b Bravo	22	17	1	1	129.41
Krishnappa Gowtham	c Dhoni b Willey	13	4	0	2	325
Jofra Archer	not out	0	0	0	0	-
Total: 177/6 in 19.5 Overs
BOWLERS	Overs	Maiden	Runs	Wickets	Eco
David Willey	4	0	47	1	11.75
Harbhajan Singh	2	0	29	1	14.5
Ravindra Jadeja	4	0	28	1	7
Shardul Thakur	4	0	22	1	5.5
Karn Sharma	1	0	10	0	10
DJ Bravo	3.5	0	31	1	8.08
Shane Watson	1	0	9	0	9

 

Rajasthan Royals innings update: Over by over

Rajasthan Royals playing XI for today's match: Ajinkya Rahane(c), Jos Buttler(w), Prashant Chopra, Sanju Samson, Ben Stokes, Stuart Binny, Krishnappa Gowtham, Jofra Archer, Ankit Sharma, Jaydev Unadkat, Ish Sodhi

Over 1: David Willey to Jos Butler, hit for three consecutive fours followed by a DOT ball. Another dot ball. butler took single to end the over. RR: 13/0, Jos Butler: 13(6b), Ben Stokes: 0(0b)

Over 2: Harbhajan to Jos Butler, DOT ball. Butler helped the ball down the leg side for four followed by second dot ball off the over. Butler cut the 4th ball for 2nd four. Butler hit the 5th ball for six over the long-on fielder. DOt ball to end the over. RR: 27/0, Jos Butler: 27(12b), Ben Stokes: 0(0b)

Over 3: Ravindra Jadeja to Ben Stokes, loud appeal for caught behind the wicket, umpire declined, no run taken. DOT ball. Stokes took a single off the 3rd ball. DOT ball. Butler hit the 5th ball for four. A single taken to end the over. RR: 33/0, Jos Butler: 32 (15b), Ben Stokes: 1 (3b)

Over 4: Harbhajan Singh to Jos Buttler, whipped the ball for four followed by a single. No run, appeal for bat and boot, NOT OUT given by the third umpire. Stokes inner edge of the bat went for a four followed by a six. Bhajji bowled Stokes off the last ball. RR: 48/1

Over 5: Ravindra Jadeja to Jos Butler, one run. DOT ball. Rahane hit the 3rd ball for four in the deep square leg region. Jadeja got the wicket of Rahane as bowl turn away. Samson took a single off the first ball he faced. Butler took a single to end the over. RR: 55/5, Ajinkya Rahane c Raina b Jadeja 4 (3b 1x4 0x6)

Over 6: Shardul Thakur to Butler, DOT ball. Single taken. WIDE. Samson played 4 consecutive DOT balls to end the over. RR: 57/2, Jos Butler: 40 (21b), Sanju Samson: 1 (4b)

Over 7: Ravindra Jadeja to Butler. Butler took single off the 2nd ball. Another single taken by the Samson. Butler reverse swept the 4th ball for four followed by a triple. Samson took a single to end the over. RR: 67/2, Jos Butler: 48 (25b), Sanju Samson: 3 (6b)

Over 8: Karn Sharma to Samson, one run. Butler took a double off the 2nd ball to complete his fourth successive IPL fifty. 1 leg bye. Samsom swept the 4th ball for 3 runs as Billings make superman effort to save one run. Butler helped the 5th ball for four in short third man region. DOT ball to end the over. RR: 78/2

over 9: Shardul Thakur to Samson, boundary to start the over. DOT ball. Samson took single off the 3rd ball. DOT ball. Two runs were taken off the 5th ball. DOT ball to end the over. RR: 85/2, Jos Butler: 56 (32b), Sanju Samson: 12 (12b).

Over 10: DJ Bravo to Sanju Samson, DOT ball. Samson failed to score of the next three balls. Finally took a single off the 5th ball. Butler took a double to end the over. RR: 88/2, Jos Butler: 58 (33b), Sanju Samson: 13 (17b)

Over 11: David Willey to Sanju Samson, single taken. Butler hit the ball over the cover fielder for a single. Samson took a single off the 4th ball. Thick outside edge of the Samson bat went for four. Samson took a double to end the over. RR: 98/2, Jos Butler: 60 (35b), Sanju Samson: 21 (21b)

Over 12: Bravo to Butler, one run. A great mix ended in Samson wicket as he sacrificed his wicket. Butler took a single off the 3rd ball. DOT ball. Prashant Chopra hit the 5th ball for four followed by a DOT ball to end the over. RR: 104/3 Sanju Samson run out (Raina/Bravo) 21 (22b 2x4 0x6) 

Over 13: Shardul to Buttler, 1 run. DOT ball. Chopra whipped a four off the 3rd ball. Chopra OUT as he chipped straight to midwicket. Binny played a DOT ball. Another DOT ball to end the over. RR: 109/4, Jos Butler: 63 (38b), Stuart Binny: 0 (2b)

Over 14: Jadeja to Butler, no run. Single taken. Binny took a single off the 3rd ball. Another single taken by Butler. Binny took a couple of runs. Dot ball to end the over. RR: 114/4, Jos Butler: 65 (41b), Stuart Binny: 3 (5b)

Over 15: Shardul to Butler, one run taken. Binny took a couple of runs followed by a four. DOT ball. Another DOT ball. Binny took single to end the over. RR: 122/4, Jos Butler: 66 (41b), Stuart Binny: 10 (10b)

Over 16: Shane Watson to Binny, single taken. Inside edge resulted in a single. Another single taken by Binny. Watson dropped a catch went for a single. Another single taken by a single. Butler reverse swept the last ball for four to end the over. RR: 131/4, Jos Butler: 72 (45b), Stuart Binny: 13(13b)

Over 17: David Willey to Binny, two runs taken. Binny took a single off the 2nd ball. Butler punched the 3rd ball for four in the cover region. DOT ball. Another DOT ball. Butler took a single to end the over. RR: 139/4, Jos Butler: 77 (49b), Stuart Binny: 16(15b)

Over 18: DJ Bravo to Butler, DOT ball. Bravo missed a hard caught and bowled chance for a single. Binny hit a six over the long-on fielder. Binny out tried to repeat the same of the low full toss. Butler took a double off the 5th ball. Butler tried to scoop the ball over fine leg fielder but failed to make a connection, Dhoni dropped a catch,for one run. RR: 149/5, Stuart Binny c Watson b Bravo 22 (17b 1x4 1x6) 

Over 19: Willey to Butler, single straight down the ground. Gowtham hit a flat batted shot for a six. WIDE. Single taken off the 3rd ball. Inside edge onto the pad for a single. Gowtham hit second six of the over straight down the ground. Gowtham edged the last ball to Dhoni to end the over. RR: 165/5, Krishnappa Gowtham c Dhoni b Willey 13 (4b 0x4 2x6) 12 runs needed in 6 balls. 

Over 20: DJ Bravo to Butler, swing and a miss, no run. Two runs taken off the 2nd ball. Top edge landed at no man land as Bravo trips. Butler hit a super six as RR needed 2 in 2. Butler took 2 runs to win the match for Rajasthan Royals.

Rajasthan Royals innings analysis after end of innings

CSK innings had come to a standstill after a reasonably quick start. Archer bowled the 17th over didn't concede any boundary. 20 balls had gone by since CSK scored a boundary. Unadkat returned with his final over. After a couple of singles, Dhoni went in for a  maximum. He was kept quiet on the following deliveries in the over. Archer came in for the 19th over. Sam Billings was struggling to time the ball. 11 runs came in this over. Stokes started the final over of the innings and looking to accelerate, Billings welcomed him with two consecutive boundaries. But he fell prey to an unlucky run-out later in the over. Bravo came in to bat. Stokes made a comeback and finished the over pretty well. CSK managed to put up a decent score on the board and ended their innings with 176/4.

Rahane was the next man in. Jadeja started the 5th over. Rahane looked to start his innings from where Stokes had left and hit Jadeja for a four. Rahane was not going to spend any more time on the pitch and provided an easy catch at the slip. Sanju Samson was the next man in. Shardul Thakur came in with the 6th over for CSK. Thakur bowled a tight over and RR's scoring rate had come to a halt. Jadeja returned with the 7th over. RR's batting appeared to be dependent on Buttler who was managing to score a few boundaries here and there. Jadeja conceded 10 runs in his over. Karn Sharma was brought into the attack. Buttler his fourth successive fifty in the tournament. Karn Sharma conceded 11 runs. Thakur came in and started the 9th over with a loose delivery and was punished appropriately by Samson who played it fine for a boundary. Did well for the rest of the over and conceded just 7 runs in total. RR were 85/2 after 9 overs.

Bravo started with the 10th over and bowled his usual slower deliveries not allowing the batsmen any options to score quick runs. batsmen struggled to go after him and could only manage to add just 3 runs in his over. David Willey was brought back into the attack for the first time since the first over of the innings. He had proved expensive in his previous over and the second over didn't improve his figures as he went for 10 runs in this one. Bravo returned and ran Samson out, courtesy of a mix-up between the two batsmen. Prashant Chopra was the next batsman for the Royals. Chopra hit Bravo for a boundary, a first for Bravo in this match. RR stood at 104/3 at the end of 12 overs.

Shardul Thakur returned to bowl the 13th over and just Prashant Chopra looked like a surprise entry on to the scene, he was made to depart through a soft-dismissal. Shardul ended a successful over conceding just 5 runs in it. Stuart Binny was the next man in. Jadeja started the final over of his spell. He didn't offer any opportunities for the batsmen to score runs who just resorted to singles. Thakur came in with the 15th over. he bowled outside-off and Binny punished him with a square-cut boundary. The required run rate had climbed up to 11.00 rpo. Buttler, who had been towing Rajasthan Royal's scoreboard throughout the innings, had the responsibility to take RR across the line. Watson was brought into the attack for the first time in the innings. Bowled a decent over but Buttler smashed the last delivery for a boundary. RR were 131/4 after 16 overs.

Willey was back into the attack. Started the over well to a struggling Binny, who was scoring at just over run-a-ball. Binny hit the third ball of the over for a boundary towards off-side. He conceded 8 runs in his over. RR needed 38 runs off 18 balls to win the match. Dhoni brought back the death-over specialist, Bravo to bowl the 18th over. The pressure was on Buttler, but he could only manage a single. Binny provided a sight of relief for the RR dugout and hit a maximum straight down the ground. But the celebrations were short he mis-hit the ball into safe hands of Shane Watson. Krishnappa Gowtham was the next batsmen on the crease. Bravo leaked just 10 runs. RR needed 28 runs off the last 12 deliveries. Willey was having a bad day and Gowtham hit him for a maximum over covers in the 19th over. Buttler had been struggling to connect the ball in the death overs. But, to RR's relief, Gowtham managed to bring RR close to the target before getting out on the last ball of the 19th over. RR needed 12 runs in the last over. As expected, Bravo bowled the last over. Buttler was on strike but continued to have his troubles. 4 runs came in the first three balls, including a mis-hit which landed in the no-man's land and Buttler just got lucky. The next ball he was able to connect well and went for a pull-shot, resulting in a maximum. 2 runs were needed off the last 2 balls. Bravo bowled wider down the off-side and the batsmen were able to run a double, thanks to an overthrow. RR won the match with 1 ball to spare. A wonderful 95(60) from Buttler and a much-needed cameo from Gowtham helped RR to sail past the finishing line. This was a crucial win for RR as all the hopes for them to make it to the playoffs are still alive.

CSK vs RR SCOREBOARD

CSK vs RR SCOREBOARD: CHENNAI SUPER KINGS
BATSMEN	Dismissal	Runs	Balls	4s	6s	SR
Shane Watson	c Buttler b Archer	39	31	2	2	125.8
Ambati Rayudu	b Archer	12	9	2	0	133.33
Suresh Raina	c Binny b Sodhi	52	35	6	1	148.57
MS Dhoni	not out	33	23	1	1	143.47
SW Billings	run out (Buttler)	27	22	3	0	122.72
DJ Bravo	not out	1	1	0	0	100
Total: 176/4 in 20 Overs
BOWLERS	Overs	Maiden	Runs	Wickets	Eco
Krishnappa Gowtham	3	0	28	0	9.33
Ankit Sharma	1	0	11	0	11
Jofra Archer	4	0	42	2	10.5
Ben Stokes	4	0	31	0	7.75
Jaydev Unadkat	4	0	34	0	8.5
Ish Sodhi	4	0	29	1	7.25

Chennai Super Kings innings update: Over by over

Chennai Super Kings playing XI for today's match: Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, Sam Billings, MS Dhoni (w/c), Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Karn Sharma, David Willey, Harbhajan Singh, Shardul Thakur. 

Over 1: Krishnappa Gowtham to Shane Watson, one run taken. Rayudu swept the 2nd ball to short square leg fielder for no run followed by a single in the long on region. Watson took a single off the 4th ball. Rayudu hit the 5th ball for four over the extra cover fielder. A miss time shot went for a single. CSK: 8/0, Shane Watson: 2(2b), Ambati Rayudu: 6(4)

Over 2: Ankit Sharma to Rayudu, DOT ball. Rayudu hit the 2nd ball straight down the ground for four followed by a single. Watson swept the 3rd ball for four in the leg side region. Single taken off the next ball. Rayudu took single to end the over. CSK: 19/0, Shane Watson: 2(2b), Ambati Rayudu: 12(4)

Over 3: Jofra Archer to Ambati Rayudu, inside edge onto the wicket OUT. Raina hit the first ball he faced for four. No ball by Archer, FREE HIT called WIDE, Raina hit the free hit for four. Defensive shot by Raina for no run. Single taken. DOT ball to end the over. CSK: 30/1, Ambati Rayudu b Archer 12 (9b 2x4 0x6)

Over 4: Krishnappa Gowtham to Raina, DOT ball to start. Raina cut the second ball for four followed by another four in the cover region, single taken by Raina after hitting two consecutive fours. Another single taken by Watson. Raina took single to end the over. CSK: 41/1, Suresh Raina: 19(10b), Shane Watson 8(6b)

Over 5: Ben Stokes to Raina, DOT ball. WIDE, Raina took single off the 2nd ball. Single taken by Watson. Raina heaved the 3rd 4th ball for four over the mid-wicket fielder followed by a single. Play and miss by Watson to end the over. CSK: 49/1, Suresh Raina: 25(14b), Shane Watson 9(8b)

Over 6: Jaydev Unadkat to Raina, WIDE. Raina top-edged the 1st ball for 3 runs, brilliant save by Stokes. Watson took singe off the 2nd ball. Another Single taken by Raina. DOT ball. Watson drove the 5th ball straight to mid-off fielder. DOT ball to end the over. CSK: 55/1, Suresh Raina: 29(16b), Shane Watson 10(12b)

Over 7: Ish Sodhi to Suresh Raina, single taken. Watson pulled the 2nd ball for a single. Another single taken by Raina. Watson took a single off the 4th ball. DOT ball. Another DOT ball to end the over. CSK: 59/1, Suresh Raina: 31(20b), Shane Watson 12(14b)

Over 8: Ben Stokes to Shane Watson, beaten outside off. Watson took a single off the 2nd ball. Another single taken by Raina in the third-man region. Single is taken. An aggressive shot by Raina straight to square leg fielder for a single. Watson took a single to end the over. CSK: 64/1, Suresh Raina: 33(22b), Shane Watson 15(18b)

Over 9: Ish Sodhi to Shane Watson, pulled the first ball for six to bring fifty run partnership. Watson hit the second ball in the long-off region for a single. Second six off the over as Raina slogged sweep the 3rd ball followed by a single. Another single taken by Watson. Raina took a single to end the over. CSK: 80/1, Suresh Raina: 41(25b), Shane Watson 23(21b)

Over 10: Jaydev Unadkat to Suresh Raina, DOT ball. A quick single taken by Raina, if Rahane would hit the wicket Raina would have gone. Watson pulled the slower short ball for six. DOT ball. Under edge for no run. WIDE ball. Another WIDE ball. Watson took a single to end the over. CSK: 90/1, Suresh Raina: 42(27b), Shane Watson 30(25b)

Over 11: Krishnappa Gowtham to Shane Watson, single taken. Defensive push to long-off by Raina for a single. Another single taken by Watson. Raina helped the wayward delivery for four in the fine leg region followed by a delicate cut shot for one run. A Shot hit in the air by Watson for a single to end the over. CSK: 99/1, Suresh Raina: 48(30b), Shane Watson 33(28b)

Over 12: Jofra Archer to Shane Watson, 2 runs taken. Watson top-edged the 2nd ball for four as the ball went past over the keeper's head. Another top edge straight up in the air and Butler completes the catch to provide second breakthrough to Rajasthan Royals. Archer strayed down the leg side for a WIDE. Another WIDE. Raina took on run off the 4th ball. Dhoni took a single off the first ball he faced. WIDE. Raina took a single to complete his third IPL 2018 fifty.CSK: 111/2, Shane Watson c Buttler b Archer 39 (31b 2x4 2x6) 

Over 13: Ish Sodhi to Suresh Raina, single taken. Dhoni hit a short arm jab in the cover for a single of the missed field. Another single taken by Raina. Dhoni took two runs off the 4th ball followed by a paddled sweep for three runs. A top-edge by Raina went straight to fine leg fielder of the last ball. CSK: 119/3, Suresh Raina c Binny b Sodhi 52 (35b 6x4 1x6)

Over 14: Ben Stokes to Dhoni, DOT ball. Single is taken of the second ball. Sam Billings hit the third ball straight to short mid-off for no run followed by a cover drive for four. Yorker for no run. Billings flicked the last ball for a single. CSK: 125/3, MS Dhoni: 8(6b), Sam Billings: 5(4b)

Over 15: Ish Sodhi to Billings, three consecutive DOT balls. Sam Billings took a single off the 4th ball. DOT ball. Dhoni took a single to end the over. CSK: 127/3, MS Dhoni: 9(8b), Sam Billings: 5(8b)

Over 16: Jaydev Unadkat to Dhoni, one run taken. Billings took a single to deep midwicket. Dhoni took a double off the 3rd ball. Another single taken. Unadkat deceived Billings by a slower ball for no run. Billings took a double of the last ball to end the over. CSK: 134/3, MS Dhoni: 13(11b), Sam Billings: 8(11b)

Over 17: Jofra Archer to Dhoni, slower delivery went for a run. Billings jammed the yorker for a single. WIDE over the head. Dhoni took 2 runs off the 3rd ball. Another single taken by Dhoni. Billings failed to scoop 5th ball for single. Dhoni took one run to end the over. CSK: 142/3, MS Dhoni: 18(15b), Sam Billings: 10(13b)

Over 18: Unadkat to Dhoni, one run taken. Sam Billings failed to play a sweep shot for a single. Dhoni heaved the 3rd ball for six in the leg side region. WIDE ball. Single taken, Another single taken. DOT ball to end the over. CSK: 153/3, MS Dhoni: 26 (19b), Sam Billings: 12 (15b)

Over 19: Jofra Archer to Sam Billings, 2 runs taken. Billings took another double of the second ball followed by a single. DOT ball. Dhoni took two runs off the 5th ball. Dhoni hit the last ball for four to end the over. CSK: 164/3, MS Dhoni: 32 (22b), Sam Billings: 17 (18b)

Over 20: Ben Stokes to Billings, hit two consecutive fours followed by double of the dropped catch. Billings got run out while trying to steal a single. bravo took a single. Dhoni took a single to end the over. CSjk: 176/4, Sam Billings run out (Buttler) 27 (22b 3x4 0x6) 

Chennai Super Kings innings analysis after 20 overs

CSK won the toss and opted to bat first. Shane Watson and Ambati Rayudu opened the innings while Krishanappa Gowtham bowled the first over for RR. The strategy looked plain and simple for CSK. Watson was going for singles and Rayudu went after the bowler from the very first ball. He hit a lofted cover-drive boundary and also got lucky in the same over when he mis-hit the ball which landed in the no-man's land. Ankit Sharma came to bowl the second over. Rayudu continued with his attempts at big shots and again hit a boundary early in the over. Ankit bowled a loose ball and Watson joined the party with a boundary towards deep fine-leg. ankit conceded 11 runs in his over. Jofra Archer was next bowl. Rayudu got a thick inside edge, going for a big shot, and the ball hit the stumps. Suresh Raina came in to bat, and started with a boundary towards on-side, Showing some classy wrist work from Raina. Archer bowled a no-ball and Raina took advantage of the free-hit and hit him for a boundary towards off-side. Archer improved his line and even after two boundaries conceded 11 runs. Up for a decent start, CSK were 30/1 after 3 overs.

Gowtham returned with his second over. No help from the pitch for him. Bowled outside-off and Raina hit him for two consecutive boundaries towards off-side, easily finding the gap. Ben Stokes bowled the 5th over. Bowled some quick deliveries and didn't offer many chances for the batsmen to score big runs. 8 runs came in this over. Unadkat came in to bowl the last over of the powerplay. Bowled a quick short-delivery and Raina misfired it, but there was no field placement to take that catch. However, Stokes made a wonderful effort to save the boundary. Unadkat bowled a tidy over and CSk stood at 55/1 after the powerplay.

A partnership was building between Raina and Watson, though at a slower pace. Ish Sodhi was brought-in to bowl the 7th over to further slow down the game, in a bid to shift the momentum in RR's favour. Ben Stokes returned with the 8th over. batsmen were finding it hard to connect the ball. Watson was struggling at a strike rate below 100. Watson looked to change this and hit Sodhi for a six on the very first of the next over. Took a single and allowed Raina to go for his trademark short, he put his knee down and hit Sodhi for a maximum towards on-side. CSK were 80/1 after 9 overs.  

Unadkat came in with the 10th over. Raina was trying to make room for himself but Unadkat followed and didn't allow him to go for big shots. Singles and big shots were coming in at regular intervals, and without taking any risks CSK were cruising at a scoring rate of 9 runs per over. Gowtham was back into the attack and CSK batsmen maintained their composure and 9 runs came in this over. Rahane brought back Archer in search of a wicket. He created a difficult chance when Watson got a thick edge on the ball and it went past the wicket-keeper for a boundary. Another edge on the next ball and Watson wasn't as lucky this time and the ball went high up in the sky, Buttler easily caught the ball. Dhoni came in next to bat. Still, CSK kept the run-rate steady. Raina reached his fifty comfortably. CSK were 111/2 after 12 overs. 

Ish Sodhi started the 13th over. Being a set batsman, Raina was trying to change gears, but the ball was not quite coming on to the bat. The pressure was building on him to score quick runs and he mis-hit a ball that created an easy chance for Stuart Binny at the short fine leg. Sam Billings came in to bat after Raina's departure. Stokes returned to bowl his third over of the match. Both the new batsmen had the responsibility to stabilise the innings and still continue to score at quick run rate after the set batsmen were back into the pavilion. Sodhi was back into the attack with his final over. Rahane was looking for another wicket. CSK batsmen played it safe and Sodhi finished his spell with a tight over conceding just 2 runs. Unadkat came in to bowl the 16th over. Sights of big shots were rare throughout the CSK innings because of the slow pitch. This continued in this over as well. Batsmen relied on singles and doubles only. CSK stood at 134/3 after 16 overs. 

CSK innings had come to a standstill after a reasonably quick start. Archer bowled the 17th over didn't concede any boundary. 20 balls had gone by since CSK scored a boundary. Unadkat returned with his final over. After a couple of singles, Dhoni went in for a  maximum. He was kept quiet on the following deliveries in the over. Archer came in for the 19th over. Sam Billings was struggling to time the ball. 11 runs came in this over. Stokes started the final over of the innings and looking to accelerate, Billings welcomed him with two consecutive boundaries. But he fell prey to an unlucky run-out later in the over. Bravo came in to bat. Stokes made a comeback and finished the over pretty well. CSK managed to put up a decent score on the board and ended their innings with 176/4.
 

Here are a few things to know about the Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals (CSK vs RR) match to be played at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, the two teams' players who could prove handy, and who has said what before the clash:

Play-offs, final set for an early start in IPL 2018: The Indian Premier League (IPL) Governing Council has decided to tweak the timings of play-offs and final match of the ongoing 11th edition of the tournament. Confirming the news, IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla said that the playoffs and summit showdown will now begin at 7 pm instead of the usual time of 8 pm. It should be noted that all the matches have been starting at 8 pm since the beginning of the tournament. With the development, the games would now conclude at around 10:30 pm instead of 11:30 pm. Earlier, the Maharashtra Cricket Association's International Stadium in Pune was scheduled to host the playoffs, but since it became the Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) home ground, the IPL governing council decided the shift the matches to Kolkata's Eden Gardens. The Qualifier 1 and finals will go ahead as scheduled at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, on May 22 and May 27 respectively.
 
What Stephen Fleming said on the eve of CSK vs RR match: Chennai Super Kings need just one win from their remaining four matches to book a play-offs berth but head coach Stephen Fleming today said that his side will not be complacent when they take on Rajasthan Royals in today’s IPL match. "The teams (like Rajasthan Royals) which are in a situation where they have to win each game can be dangerous. We would be playing with full intensity. We know we are a couple of games ahead but we don't want to be in a situation where we need to scrape through in last games. We will not be complacent," Fleming said at pre-match press conference.
 
What Mike Hussey said about Dhoni’s stumping abilities: Heaping praise on skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batting coach Mike Hussey has termed the former India Test wicket-keeper as the man having the fastest draw of as far as stumping off spinners is concerned. "My observations are he's (Dhoni) got to be the fastest in the world against the spinners in taking the bails off. He's unbelievably quick," said the former Australia player after CSK had routed Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by six wickets in an IPL match.
 
Rajasthan Royals to don pink jersey against CSK in today’s IPL match: Struggling to stay alive in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Rajasthan Royals hope for a change in fortune as they plan to don a special pink jersey in Friday's home match against the Chennai Super Kings, to raise awareness about early cancer screening. As part of the Rajasthan Royals' Cancer out campaign, skipper Ajinkya Rahane along with his teammates Heinrich Klaasen, Krishnappa Gowtham and Mahipal Lomror on Wednesday got themselves screened in an urge to promote early cancer screening. "As a player I think this initiative is a small but crucial step towards a direction of cancer-free society and I hope that we perform to the best of our ability to raise as much awareness as we can," Rahane said in a statement.
 
Mark Wood ends IPL stint early for Pakistan Tests: England pacer Mark Wood has cut short his Indian Premier League (IPL) stint with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to prepare for this month's Test series against Pakistan. The 28-year-old was released by the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side after appearing in just one match for the team and now he is all set to head Durham for the five-match series. Taking to his Instagram account, Wood wrote that he had worked really hard to get back into the Test side and, therefore, he would now play for Durham to boost his chances of selection in Playing XI, ESPNcricinfo reported. "The decision has been made for me to return home to England to prepare for the English summer.Having worked so hard to get back into the test team, and because I'm not currently not in the CSK side, I am coming home to play for Durham to hopefully put my name in the hat for Test match selection," Wood said.
 
HC modifies interim order asking Airtel to change disclaimer of its IPL commercials: The Delhi High Court modified its single judge's interim orders asking Bharti Airtel to make changes to its advertisements offering "live and free access" to IPL coverage by carrying a disclaimer of a larger font size in a prominent and visible place. A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar while passing the order also questioned the maintainability of the suit filed by Reliance JIO (RJIO) which alleged that Airtel's advertisement was "deceptive and misleading". "Prima facie we have strong reservations about the maintainability of the plea," the court said while setting aside the second interim order passed by the single judge on May 2. The single judge in his May 2 order had asked Airtel to use font of 12 pixels in print media and that too in a prominent and visible place and not at the bottom. The high court, however, allowed the first interim order of April 13 to continue to operate.
 
The team head to head ahead of IPL today’s match Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals (CSK vs RR)
 
Overall:
Matches – 19
Rajasthan Royals won – 7
Chennai Super Kings won – 12