CSK vs RR, 17th match at Pune, Apr 20 2018, Indian Premier League

RESULT
17th match (N), Pune, April 20, 2018, Indian Premier League
(18.3/20 ov, T:205) 140

CSK won by 64 runs

Player Of The Match
106 (57) & 1/13
shane-watson
Cricinfo's MVP
155.14 ptsImpact List
shane-watson
Match centre 
Comms: Sreshth Shah
Scorecard summary
Chennai Super Kings 204/5(20 overs)
106 (57)
3/20 (4)
46 (29)
2/38 (4)
Rajasthan Royals 140/10(18.3 overs)
45 (37)
22 (17)
2/30 (4)
Cricinfo’s Most Valuable Players of the Match
PLAYERTeam
TI
Runs
I. Runs
B. Impact
Bowl
I. Wkts
Bo. Impact
CSK155.14106(57)125.65141.751/130.4613.39
RR103.298(10)83.483/204.0199.81
CSK51.0246(29)50.451.02--0
CSK46.13--02/302.5446.13
RR38.050(1)-02/381.9738.05

11.55pm That's all from us tonight. CSK move to the top of the IPL points table after their domination of Rajasthan Royals tonight. Match report and other reactions on our home page soon. Till then, it's goodnight from all of us at ESPNcricinfo. We'll see you tomorrow for double-header Saturday. On behalf of the crew, this is Sreshth Shah, signing off.

11.30pm A terrific all-round performance from Chennai Super Kings, playing at their new home. Shane Watson's hundred set the CSK innings up, after which the Indian bowlers - Chahar and Thakur - made life difficult for Rajasthan Royals. Time for the presentation.

Shane Watson, the Man of the Match: "There's no doubt I had some extra motivation, playing against Rajasthan. Incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to play for CSK, so happy to repay the faith. (on the dropped catch), I'm not sure. It's just how it goes sometimes, but the other little things fell my way tonight. I'm always looking to get better, when it's time you're not learning, it's time to stop, so I'm still trying to improve certain aspects of my playing. MS Dhoni and Stephen Fleming know really well how to set a team dynamic, and seeing the inner workings of the team is great."

Dhoni, the winning captain: "It's like an unknown territory for us. We're usually behind, but this time we're ahead. Most of us are over 30, so it's important to stay fit. Experience really counts, and we do have good fielders. Just need people to stay fit. The change of venue, to be frank, the people over here, they supported me when I played for Pune, so you could say that it was good that I could return the favour. Yes, it's Chennai Super Kings and not Pune Super Kings, but by the end of the seventh game, we'll see more yellow here. As for the pitch, I wasn't 100% sure. There was variable bounce, spongy bounce, and hitting from back of a length is difficult sometimes. The batsmen made the life for the bowlers easy. Whenever you score 200+, the spinners still had to vary their pace, line and length to stay in the game. The first six overs of the chase were important. Today also there was a bit of dew later on, and if the wicket is good not many teams will mind batting first."

Ajinkya Rahane, the losing captain: "Credit goes to CSK. The way they played, especially Watson. We dropped a catch, but the way he batted was incredible. Poor fielding hurts, but players are working hard on fielding. Need to learn from this and move forward. I felt we bowled slightly on the poor side. They bowled straighter, and those lines and lengths were difficult to hit. CSK were just too good tonight. It's important to believe in our ability for the next game, and just go out there and be positive. Watson was positive from ball one, and T20 cricket is just about that."

Shardul: "It takes years to get the slower-ball right, and when I got the rhythm, I just wanted to stay level-headed. The secret is we have played three high-scoring games. Those games were nail-biting, and so we were calm and composed tonight. I've practiced hard, and felt good to execute those plans in the middle."

Ranjithkuzi: "CSK moves to the top of the table with this wonderful game.. "

Bhalaji: "Karn kept bhajji out of MI last season and has replaced him this match....will the trend continue?"

Pratik Bhatia: "I think RR were beaten in all 3 departments....and they missed the trick with the opening pair, Stokes or Tripathi would have been a better bet than Klassen. But nothing can be taken away from Watson! It was his day today! Probably this knock will make him a different player and CSK a different team!"

18.3
W
Karn to Laughlin, OUT

it's all over! Karn finishes with two wickets to his name. Good length outside off, and once again zipping straight through. The No. 11 tries to cut, but all he can get is a feather edge. Comfortably done by thala Dhoni as Chennai Super Kings win by 64 runs!

Ben Laughlin c †Dhoni b Sharma 0 (1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0
18.2
W
Karn to Unadkat, OUT

crashes into middle stump! Tossed up on middle, and this is the topspin from Karn. Unadkat misses the slog, and the ball sneaks under his bat. Nine down now

Jaydev Unadkat b Sharma 16 (10b 3x4 0x6) SR: 160
18.1
4
Karn to Unadkat, FOUR runs

swatted away to the mid-wicket boundary! Half-tracker on middle, and that's been pulled to the leg-side boundary

end of over 186 runs
RR: 136/8CRR: 7.55 RRR: 34.50
Shreyas Gopal8 (10b)
Jaydev Unadkat12 (8b 2x4)
Ravindra Jadeja 1-0-6-0
Karn Sharma 1-0-9-0

Shameel Raja: "When most of the players in csk can bowl and bat, why do we call selective players as Allrounders?" -- Got to ask yourself whether the player can make the team on just one of those skills. Not all these players fit the bill

17.6
Jadeja to Gopal, no run

overpitched on off stump, and all the batsman can do is squeeze it away towards cover point

17.5
2
Jadeja to Gopal, 2 runs

full on middle, and Gopal tries to whip this over cow corner. The bat turns in his hand, so the shot goes towards deep backward square instead

Soham Basak: "This may sound needlessly critical, but Watto really didn't need to bowl tonight. After his innings, he could have been rested. As Dhoni himself said, workload management is important for this team considering the average age."

17.4
1
Jadeja to Unadkat, 1 run

full on off, and angling into the right-hander. He backs away and carves it towards cover for a run

17.3
1
Jadeja to Gopal, 1 run

on off stump, and that's been comfortably flicked off the front foot to the gap on the leg side

17.2
1
Jadeja to Unadkat, 1 run

good length just outside off, and Unadkat's cut comes off the bat's bottom. Trickles away towards short third man

17.1
1
Jadeja to Gopal, 1 run

full on off, and drilled down the ground to long off. No spin first ball

And now Jadeja, for the first time tonight

end of over 179 runs
RR: 130/8CRR: 7.64 RRR: 25.00
Jaydev Unadkat10 (6b 2x4)
Shreyas Gopal4 (6b)
Karn Sharma 1-0-9-0
Shardul Thakur 3-0-18-2

Pratik Bhatia: "I think last 4 over should be bowled by Karn and Jadeja! It will be a good practice for them."

16.6
4
Karn to Unadkat, FOUR runs

inside out over cover! Slightly extra air given this time, and the ball is lifted over the infield with disdain. Get Unadkat up the order!

16.5
1
Karn to Gopal, 1 run

half-tracker on off stump, and once again heaved towards the leg side off the back foot. Billings is positioned there at cow corner

Four singles off four balls

16.4
1
Karn to Unadkat, 1 run

good length on middle, and he swivels to whip it towards square leg

16.3
1
Karn to Gopal, 1 run

full on off stump, and Gopal comes walking down the wicket to tap it towards midwicket

16.2
1
Karn to Unadkat, 1 run

good length outside off, and sharp legspin. Tries to slog-sweep, but top-edges it towards the leg side. Falls short of deep midwicket

16.1
1
Karn to Gopal, 1 run

good length on off, and that's been pulled along the ground to deep midwicket

Karn Sharma, legspin, finally introduced

end of over 166 runs • 1 wicket
RR: 121/8CRR: 7.56 RRR: 21.00
Jaydev Unadkat4 (3b 1x4)
Shreyas Gopal1 (3b)
Shardul Thakur 3-0-18-2
Shane Watson 3-0-13-1

Pranjal Shah: "How can you not bowl 2 of your specialists and still have opposition getting all out well below 20 ovs? Master planner at his best."

15.6
4
Thakur to Unadkat, FOUR runs

extra short on off stump, and too easy for the tall Unadkat. Swats this pull, and the ball races away to the cow-corner boundary

15.5
Thakur to Unadkat, no run

good length on off, and Unadkat's in no position to pull. Misses the shot, and the ball hits his gut. Looks like it's taken the wind out of his system. Unadkat needs a moment to recover

15.4
Thakur to Unadkat, no run

full on middle stump, and he check drives over the bowler's head. Lands just short of mid off

15.3
W
Thakur to Binny, OUT

Godly catch from Thakur! Short on off, and he tries to pull. The ball takes the top edge, and it's in the air for just a bit, as Thakur sprints, dives forward and then takes a one-handed stunner

Stuart Binny c & b Thakur 10 (8b 1x4 0x6) SR: 125
15.2
1
Thakur to Gopal, 1 run

good length on off stump. The batsman goes deep into his crease before defending off the back foot

Best performances - batters
Spike Graph
Wagon Zone
SR Watson
106 runs (57)
9 fours6 sixes
Productive shot
pull
20 runs
1 four2 sixes
Control
84%
SK Raina
46 runs (29)
9 fours0 six
Productive shot
cover drive
12 runs
3 fours0 six
Control
65%
Best performances - bowlers
S Gopal
O
4
M
0
R
20
W
3
ECO
5
FTYFGSGS
OFFLEG
RHB
2W
LEGOFF
LHB
1W
SN Thakur
O
3
M
0
R
18
W
2
ECO
6
FTYFGSGS
OFFLEG
RHB
1W
1W
LEGOFF
LHB
Match details
Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune
TossRajasthan Royals, elected to field first
Series
Season2018
Player Of The Match
Hours of play (local time)20.00 start, First Session 20.00-21.30, Interval 21.30-21.50, Second Session 21.50- 23.20
Match days20 April 2018 - night (20-over match)
Umpires
TV Umpire
Reserve Umpire
Match Referee
PointsChennai Super Kings 2, Rajasthan Royals 0
Win Probability
CSK 100%
CSKRR
100%50%100%CSK InningsRR Innings

Over 19 • RR 140/10

Jaydev Unadkat b Sharma 16 (10b 3x4 0x6) SR: 160
W
Ben Laughlin c †Dhoni b Sharma 0 (1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0
W
CSK won by 64 runs
Powered by Smart Stats
AskESPNcricinfo Logo
Instant answers to T20 questions
RR Innings
<1 / 3>

Indian Premier League

TEAMMWLPTNRR
SRH1495180.284
CSK1495180.253
KKR148616-0.070
RR147714-0.250
MI1468120.317
RCB1468120.129
KXIP146812-0.502
DC145910-0.222