Chennai/UNI: Rajasthan Royals put up a splendid show and held their nerve to record a first win at the MA Chidambaram Stadium here on Wednesday since 2008 as they beat Chennai Super Kings by three runs.
Opting to bowl first, though the home team started well to clip Rajasthans wings initially, the Men in Pink responded brilliantly to post 175/8 in their 20 overs.
Rajasthans leading run scorer, Jos Buttler, led the charge with his third fifty of the season, while Devdutt Padikkal (38), Ravichandran Ashwin (30), and Shimron Hetmyer (30*) chipped in with valuable contributions to help the team post a challenging total.
In reply, Chennai were on the back foot as Rajasthan kept a check on the scoring and held on to their catches to pile pressure on the hosts. On a slow track, the spin duo of Ashwin (2-25) and Yuzvendra Chahal (2-27), along with Impact Player Adam Zampa (1-43), led the assault for Rajasthan.
Though efforts from Devon Conway (50), Mahendra Singh Dhoni (32*), and Ravindra Jadeja (25*) took the match deep, Rajsthan kept their composure to see the match through.
Brief score: Rajasthan Royals 175/8 (20 overs) beat Chennai Super Kings 172/6 (20 overs)
