Rajasthan Royals (RR) secured a narrow 6-run victory over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the 11th match of IPL 2025 at Baraspara Stadium, Guwahati. Nitish Rana’s explosive 81-run knock, early breakthroughs by Jofra Archer, and outstanding bowling from Wanindu Hasaranga led RR to victory.
Rajasthan Royal's Batting
Chennai Super Kings won the toss and chose to bowl first. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson opened for RR, while Khaleel Ahmed bowled the first over. Jaiswal hit a boundary but fell on the third ball, giving CSK an early breakthrough. Nitish Rana came in at No. 3 and smashed a boundary on his second ball. After 1 over, RR stood at 9/1.
Rana’s Dominant Innings
Jamie Overton replaced Khaleel and faced Rana, who hit a boundary and a six. RR raced to 64/1 after 5 overs. Rana reached his half-century in just 21 balls and hit another six in the same over. By the end of the sixth over, RR was at 79/0, with Rana on 58 off 22 balls.
Rana’s Departure and Middle-Order Collapse
Rana continued his aggressive play but was stumped by Dhoni off Ashwin’s bowling for 81 runs. Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel tried to build a partnership, but Noor Ahmad dismissed Jurel early. RR was 129/3 after 12 overs.
Jadeja and Noor Ahmad picked quick wickets, reducing RR to 145/5. Hasaranga’s brilliant spell saw him take two more wickets, including Shimron Hetmyer, leaving RR at 165/7 after 17 overs. RR added some runs in the final overs and finished at 182/9 in 20 overs.
CSK’s Challenging Chase
Rachin Ravindra and Rahul Tripathi opened for CSK. Jofra Archer struck early, dismissing Ravindra for a duck. After 3 overs, CSK was at 5/1. Tripathi and Gaikwad recovered with quick boundaries, reaching 28/1 after 5 overs.
Hasaranga’s Game-Changing Spell
Hasaranga dismissed Tripathi and Shivam Dube in quick succession. CSK struggled at 74/3 after 10 overs. Gaikwad kept the scoreboard ticking, reaching a half-century.
CSK’s Final Push
With 72 needed from 36 balls, Gaikwad hit a six but fell to Hasaranga for 63 runs. Dhoni tried to anchor the innings but couldn’t manage to finish the game. Tushar Deshpande’s wicket of MS Dhoni in the 19th over sealed RR’s fate. Despite Jadeja’s late efforts, CSK fell short by 6 runs.
Brief Scorecard
Rajasthan Royals won the match by a narrow margin. Nitish Rana played a superb innings when no one stood with him. Noor Ahmad and Maheesh Pathirana bowled well. However, CSK lacked strength in their batting. Ruturaj Gaikwad played a good knock, but no one supported him. MS Dhoni came in late again, and CSK fell short, this time by 6 runs. Ravindra Jadeja tried his best but couldn’t score enough runs. CSK needs to rework their batting strategies. Stay tuned with JUSZNEWS for regular updates!