Moeen Ali and Ravindra Jadeja stole the show with 5 wickets between them after the new ball was taken, following Buttler's massive six.
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Has there ever been a game where a six won a match for the fielding side? Well, that is effectively what happened in the 12th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 played between the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR). English batsman Jos Buttler looked all set to take the game away from the three-time champions, on a pitch that offered very little to the spinners. Buttler hit a six to reach 49, but the ball was irretrievable. As a result, a new, drier ball had to be taken. As it turned out, it was not the pitch that did not have much to offer to the spinners, it was the ball itself. A dry ball meant more grip and CSK spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Moeen Ali took full advantage.
The Super Kings had scored 188 in their 20 overs, and in response, the Royals could only manage to score 143. Ever since the new ball was taken, Jadeja and Moeen wreaked havoc. Jadeja picked two wickets in his four overs, including the one of Buttler on 49. He only conceded 28 in the process. Jadeja also took four catches.
Moeen, from the other end, might have delivered his best bowling performance of the season. He picked three wickets in three overs and conceded only seven runs in the process. Sam Curran also picked a couple of wickets, with Dwayne Bravo and Shardul Thakur picking one each.
None of the RR batters apart from Buttler could get going. Rahul Tewatia and tail-ender Jaydev Unadkat were the only others who managed to reach the 20-run mark. Skipper Sanju Samson will have a lot to think about. The Royals went from 87-3 to 95-7.
No one in the CSK batting lineup managed to score big runs. A number of cameos helped MS Dhoni’s men reach a competitive total of 188. Opener Faf Du Plessis scored the highest with 33 off 17 deliveries. Moeen made 26 off 20, Ambati Rayudu made 27 off 17 and Dwayne Bravo made 20 off 8 at the end. Dhoni could manage 18 off 17 deliveries while Suresh Raina made 18 off 15.
Youngster Chetan Sakariya impressed yet again with the ball as he picked three wickets for 36 runs off his four overs, including Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni. Chris Morris took two wickets for 33 runs while Mustafizur Rahman and Rahul Tewatia picked one wicket each.
The lack of a big individual score will be a matter of concern for Stephen Fleming and MS Dhoni. They did, however, achieve an above-par target. Samson, on the other hand, would have to focus on his team’s bowling attack and batting.
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