IPL: Ruturaj Gaikwad 101 in vain as Dube, Jaiswal help RR chase 190 vs CSK to boost playoff hopes
Ruturaj Gaikwad’s first hundred in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Saturday was in vain, as the Rajasthan Royals registered the most successful race in the United Arab Emirates this season to stun the Chennai Super Kings by 7 wickets and preserve their chances of reaching the playoffs.
The Royals made light work of the mammoth 190-run chase thanks to swashbuckling knocks from Shivam Dube, Yashasvi Jaiswal (50) and Sanju Samson (28) to cross the finish line in the 18th over with 15 balls to spare.
Jaiswal and Evin Lewis (27) gave RR a flying start, adding 77 in just 5.2 overs to lay a solid foundation for the chase before Dube and Samson took charge and added another 89 runs for the 3rd wicket to take the game away from MS Dhoni’s Super Kings.
Jaiswal hit the fastest fifty for RR this season off 20 balls, hitting 6 fours and 3 sixes while Dube smashed his maiden IPL fifty off 31 balls with 4 fours and 4 towering maximums as RR brought an end to CSK’s 7-match winning streak in the UAE.
Dube remained not out on his highest T20 score of 64 off 42 balls while Glenn Phillips added the finishing touches with his 14 not out.
The win helped Rajasthan Royals go level on 10 points with Kolkata Knight Riders (4th), Punjab Kings (5th) and Mumbai Indians. RR also climbed up to sixth position on the IPL 2021 table thanks to their superior net run rate than the defending champions MI, who dropped to seventh.
Earlier, Ruturaj Gaikwad continued his red-hot form with a magnificent century as Chennai Super Kings scored an imposing 189 for 4 against Rajasthan Royals to post the highest total since the IPL 2021 restart.
Gaikwad struck as many as nine fours and five sixes in his 60-ball 101 not out to make a mockery of Royals’ bowling attack in their 12th round encounter. Ravindra Jadeja (32 not out off 15 balls) scythed through the Royals attack at the back-end as CSK added 55 runs in only 3.4 overs.
In fact, in the final over, Jadeja faced four deliveries, leaving Gaikwad with two deliveries and he pulled Mustafizur Rahman off the final delivery to complete the coveted landmark. Gaikwad not only became the first batsman in the UAE leg of IPL 2021 to hit a hundred but also the first to reach 500 runs this season. For the Royals, leg-spinner Rahul Tewatia (3/39 in 4 overs) was the most successful bowler.
