In a thrilling encounter, Rajasthan Royals (RR) claimed their first win of IPL 2025 by defeating Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by just six runs. Nitish Rana’s blistering knock of 81 and Wanindu Hasaranga’s clever wrist-spin bowling were the key to RR’s victory. CSK fell short in their chase of 183, finishing with 176 for 6 despite a valiant 63 from Ruturaj Gaikwad.
Rana set the tone for RR with a quick-fire 81 from 36 balls, joining the list of RR’s fastest half-centurions. He was particularly aggressive against CSK’s R Ashwin, hitting him for sixes and fours. Gaikwad anchored CSK’s chase with a well-crafted fifty but was ultimately undone by Hasaranga’s deceptive bowling, especially his wrong’un.
Despite a late charge from Ravindra Jadeja, who scored 32 not out off 22 balls, CSK couldn’t bridge the gap. Sandeep Sharma, defending 19 runs in the final over, sealed RR’s win by dismissing MS Dhoni, who made 16 off 11 balls.
RR’s innings saw a strong start from Rana, with support from Riyan Parag (37), but a tight spell of bowling from CSK’s Noor Ahmad (2-28) and Matheesha Pathirana (2-28) slowed down RR in the latter stages. Shimron Hetmyer was lucky to survive an early drop but was dismissed for 19 later on.
CSK, chasing 183, lost wickets at key moments. Archer’s opening spell was crucial, taking a wicket and putting pressure on CSK early. Hasaranga’s spell, where he picked up 4 wickets for 35 runs, turned the match in RR’s favor, as he wreaked havoc in the middle order, dismissing key CSK batters.
In the end, CSK’s fightback wasn’t enough, and RR held on to win by six runs, handing CSK their second consecutive defeat in the tournament.
