CSK vs RR IPL 2023 Highlights: MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja’s efforts fall short as Rajasthan defeat Chennai by 3 runs

Zamapa to bowl the 18th and that's four from the first ball as the fans are up on their feet. A single follows.. And that's a six by Dhoni!!!! Zampa under a world of pressure. CSK 136/6 after 18 overs

Chahal in to bowl the 17th and that's 3 singles from 3 balls. One of them needs to get going now and Jadeja tries to sweep, misses the ball and that's another single, this time it's a bye. CSK 122/6 after 17 overs

Ravchandran Ashwin to bowl the 16th and that's 2 from 2 as Dhoni is offc the mark with a single. Huge cheers around the grond every time Dhoni is on strike. Another single. Excellent over from Ashwin. CSK 117/6 after 16 overs

That's 50 for Devon Conway and he'll be the player who Chennai will bank on to pull them over the finish line. And just as I was typing this, Conway has hit a shot high and is dismissed!!! Great catch by Jaiswal and Mahendra Singh Dhoni walsk out in the middle. CSK 113/6 after 15 overs

Chahal to bowl the 15th and he strikes!!! Rayudu tries to go big and Hetmyer is in the deep to complete a very good catch. That's 2 wickets in 2 overs. Chennai are in a fix. CSK103/5 after 14.1 overs

Zampa in to bowl the 14th and CSK need to get going now. 3 runs from the first 3 balls. Conways swings and it has hit the under edge of his bat and goes behind for just a single. And Ali tries to sweep for a six and Sharma takes a beautiful running catch!!! CSK 102/4 after 13.5 overs 

Yuzvendra Chahal to bowl the 13th and Moeen Ali gets 2 from the first 2 balls. 1 more runs from the next two balls. Just 5 off this over as Chahal stifles the batters. CSK 98/3 after 13 overs

Ashwin in to bowl the 12th and that's 2 dots to start as Dube fails to hit both. The 3rd ball is hit by Dube for a four as he finally gets a good touch off it. And he tries to go gaian but he's snared. Dube departs. CSK 92/3 after 11.4 overs

Kuldeep Sen is back in the attack and Conway takes a single off the first ball. Another 2 from the next two balls as Rajasthan fielders are on point. Turning out to be a good over with just 5 from it thus far. Another single to end the over. CSK 86/2 after 11 overs

Ashwin in to bowl the 10th over and that's a big shout for an LBW off the 3rd ball. The finger goes up and Chennai do not review. Rahane walks off. That's a big, big wicket for Rajasthan. CSK 78/2 after 9.3 overs

Ajinkya Rahane and Ravichandran Ashwin would have shared the India dressing room on numerous occasions, but it doesn't prevent them from trying their best to get the better of each other when they are on opposite sides. The two veterans may not be the most showy when it comes to their emotions, but there's an inmistakeable steely resolve in both.
When they faced off in the last over of the Powerplay during Chennai Super Kings' chase, Rahane decided to take the off-spinner on straight away, stepping down and lofting the ball over the infield, the miscue also landing in the hands of Yuzvendra Chahal running back.
Whenever Ashwin has the ball, the non-striker has to be extra vigilant, and again the tweaker aborted his delivery stride to keep Devon Conway honest. Not to be outdone, Rahane moved away from the stumps just before Ashwin let the ball go.
The next ball resulted in a leading edge that fell short of the bowler. But Rahane grabbed the bragging rights when he stepped out to a length delivery outside off-stump and freed his arms to send the ball soaring over long-off, leaving the bowler wide-mouthed in amazement, before a hint of a smile. Rahane pushed the next one to long-on to deny Ashwin any riposte. Ashwin though had the last laugh, trapping his former India teammate in front on an attempted sweep, when he returned to the attack in the 10th over.

Zmapa in to bowl the 9th and the CSK batters keep the scoreboard ticking with singles and braces before Rahane hits a four to sweeper cover. Oh there's 2 wides after a CSK review. CSK 76/1 after 9 overs

Jason Holder to bowl the 8th and it's a gift for Conway as he hits the first delivery off his leg side for a four!! 3 runs from the next 3 balls. CSK 61/1 after 8 overs

Chahal is introduced in the attack now and he starts with 2 dot balls. Gives away 2 runs from the next two. Preet balanced over up till that four which brings up Chennai's 50. CSK 52/1 after 7 overs

Ravichandran Ashwin to bowl the last over inside the powerplay and Rahane hits it over the inner circle to get 2 runs. And the 3rd ball is picked up for a six!!! Huge shot.CSK 45/1 after 6 overs 

The penultimate over of the powerplay now and Zampa will bowl this one. Starts with a dot as Rahane pushes it away. Another dot follows as Zampa slows the pace down. Rahane with the single off the 3rd ball and Conway on strike. Very well played as Conway sweeps and gets a four through deep fine.  And another sweep as Conway is dropped by Sandeep and what's worse, it's gone for a four. CSK 35/1 after 5 overs

Jason Holder to bowl the 4th over and he starts with 2 dot balls. Good bowling from Tajastha as Chennai struggle to get going. Great pull from Rhane to get a four off the 4th ball. Conway joins the party as he too pulls for a four to end this over on a high. CSK 26/1 after 4 overs

Sandeep Sharma in to bowl the 3rd and Gaikwad gets a thick outer edge, goes up a long, long way and Jaiswal takes the catch. CSK 10/1 after 3.2 overs

Kuldeep Sen in to bowl the 2nd and Gaikwad off the mark in this over with a single. Conway takes a single too as the scoreboard is kept alive. Jus 3 from this over ultimately. CSK 10/0 after 2 overs

We are back for the chase and sandeep Sharma will open the attack for Rajasthan. Gaikwad and Conway are at the crease. Huge shout straightaway for an LBW but no one is interested. And the next ball is hit up in the air, it's a chance but falls safely. CSK 7/0 after 1 over

Tushar Deshpande to bowl the last over and Hetmyer drives through the line for a four!! Takes 2 more next as he retains strike. The next ball, he gets down on his knees and misses. A single and Holder will face the remaining 2 balls. And he is out first ball as Holder hits it well but fails to clear the field. Conway with the catch. Zampa in for Buttler now. And the catch is dropped but it's a run our to end this over. Rajasthan Royals finish at 175/8 after 20 overs

Akash Singh to bowl penultimate over of this innings. Just 2 from the first 2 balls. Good start to the over. Hetmyer frees  his arms next and the ball just finds a fielder. A full toss next and hetmyer ahs hit it for a six!! You do not bowl a ball like that to him. And another full toss but Porel fails to get any momentum off it and it's a simple catch. RR are checking the height now. Loses the review and the wicket. RR 167/6 after 19 overs

There has been plenty of talk of strike rates and Ravichandran Ashwin only added to the debate. Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis, Shikhar Dhawan, David Warner have got stuck at various points during their respective innings. Ashwin walked in at No.5 after RR lost two quick wickets - Devdutt Padikkal and Sanju Samson - snared by Ravindra Jadeja. He walked in before hard-hitting Shimron Hetmyer, so was expected to go after the bowling straight away. But Ashwin's timing was off. He played some elegant punches and flicks but they were more appropriate for Test cricket rather than T20s. The wicket had slowed down a bit and the ball was not coming onto the bat nicely. But Ashwin didn't improvise enough. Jos Buttler at the other end also got stuck and suddenly the RR innings lost momentum. Ashwin was sputtering at 17 from 18 balls with one boundary, criminal in this day and age. Something had to give and Ashwin decided to target medium pacer Akash Singh. Two sixes over deep midwicket off consecutive balls was a saving grace for Ashwin but he failed to clear the boundary and was caught in the last ball of the over.  Ashwin finished with 30 off 22, but the singles and twos early on really hurt his strike rate and sucked the momentum out of the RR innings.

Tushar Deshpande in to bowl the 18th and yields just 1 run from the first 2 balls. Porel takes another single and Hetmyer is back on strike. Rajastha will need him to finish the innings strongly. And right on cue, Deshpande bowls a full toss and Hetmyer hits him for a six!! Pressure on Deshpande as he bowls a wide next. Ends the over with four more. RR 157/5 after 18 overs

Moeen Ali in to bowl the 17th and strikes immediately. Buttler tries to hit him, misses the line and it all ends up mwith the stumps shattered. Just what CSK wanted at this juncture. RR 142/5 after 16.2 overs

When one has someone of the pedigree of Ajinkya Rahane when it comes to slip fielding, especially for spinners, why would you have anyone else standing there? At least, a skipper of MS Dhoni's astuteness would be expected to keep that in mind. Moeen Ali, who was entrusted with that responsibility, seemed  genuinely surprised when the two chances came to him. The one of Devdutt Padikkal off Maheesh Theekshana's bowling came at his bootlaces, while the one of Ravichandran Ashwin in a memorable Ravindra Jadeja over almost hit him in the chest. All this while, Rahane was fielding in the outfield.
One would have expected Dhoni to make the change after the first chance went down, but he still persisted with the Englishman on a pitch which had ample in it for the spinners. Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal can be expected to make the most of such a surface, with the option of including Adam Zampa   to improve their prospects. 
Moeen also missed a relatively easy run-out opportunity and with the ball, gave away 18 runs in his first over with his compatriot Jos Buttler pulling two short-of-length deliveries way into the stands.

Theekshana in to bowl the 16th and Buttler takes two runs to bring up his 50. Just 6 off this over ultimately as Theekshana is done for the night. RR 141/4 after 16 overs

Akash Singh in to bowl the 15th and Buttler gives the strike to Ashwin as he hits a hige six off the 2nd ball!!! Oooffff!! Long time coming this one. And another one!!! Is that long enough? Yes it is as Ashwin makes it 2 sixes out of 2. Aaksh with 2 great ball next. And Ashwin is gone after trying to go to the well as little too many times. Slices it and Magala gets underneath it and takes a comfortable catch. RR 135/4 after 15 overs

Theekshana in to bowl the 14th over and it's a run out chance missed!!. Ver wide from Moeen Ali as Dhoni fails to get the ball. Ashwin finally gets a four away and alleviates some pressure. RR 119/3 after 14 overs

Jadeja in to bowl the 13th and that's a single for Buttler as Ashwin comes back to strike. The veteran spinner needs to get going as pressure mounts on the Royals. A great ball by Jadeja next as there's a check for stumping and Ashwin is safe. Another good over from Jadeja. RR 110/3 after 13 overs

Magala in to bowl his 2nd over and CSK's 12th. 1 from the first two deliveries as Jos Buttler gives strike to Ashwin who returns the favour with a single as 100 comes up for Rajasthan. RR 104/3 after 12 overs

Jadeja in to bowl the 11th over and starts with 2 dots as Ashwin is pretty careful in playing those deliveries. Just 2 runs from this one as Jadeja stems the runs. RR 97/3 after 11 overs

Magala in to bowl the 10th and Buttler mines 3 runs from the first 2 balls. Another single and Ravichandran Ashwin is on strike now. A single again to hand the initiative back to Buttler. RR 95/3 after 10 overs

And Jadeja strikes again as he gets Chennai back into the game again. Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson tries to defend, the ball moves away from him as the batter gets little time to adjust as his stumps are knocked over. RR 88/3 after 8.5 overs

Jadeja to bowl the 8th and after conceding 2 runs from the first ball, Jadeja gets the big breakthrough off the 3rd ball. Padikkal tries to go for a big one but can only hole out to Devon Conway. RR 88/2 after 8.3 overs

Moeen Ali introduced for the 8th over as Padikkal hits the second ball high and gets 3 off it. Just 2 singles from the ensuing 2 balls. The fifth is bowled short and gets the treatment as the ball is sent out of the ground by Buttler for a maximum. And again!!!! This one even bigger as back to back short balls get punished by Buttler. Six more!! RR 86/1 after 8 overs

Ravindra Jadeja in to bowl the 7th and not the best of starts as he gives away 5 wides. Buttler takes a single next as Padikkal returns to strike. The former RCB player does the same as he takes a single as well. The next ball is wide again as the extras keep mounting in this over. Good 4th ball as Padikkal swings nad misses as the ball goes straight to Dhoni. THe 50 partnership is up for these two. RR 68/1 after 7 overs

Tushar Deshpande to end the powerplay and Padikkal hits it straight for a four. Beautiful shot through mid-off. And again, an excellent placement gets him another four!! Just 2 off the next two balls as Deshpande looks to calm things down. RR 57/1 after 6 overs

Theekshana to bowl the penultimate over inside the powerplay and Buttler hits his second delivery for a six and holds the pose. Takes a single and it's back to Padikkal who hits a glorious shot to get four more!! Excellent timing. Buttler slashes the last ball to get another boundary. Theekshana just getting punished from both ends here. RR 45/1 after 5 overs

Akash Singh to bowl the 4th over and Buttler takes a single off the first ball. The next ball, Padikkal hits it high but the ball falls in no man's land as he takes 2. Takes a single next as Buttler gets the strike back. Another single, this time from Buttler as the scoreboard keeps ticking. RR 28/1 after 4 overs

Maheesh Theekshana introduced in the attack now and Padikkal with a single to give Buttler the strike. Likewise from Buttler as he pushes the second delivery wide for another 1 run. Excellent timing by Padikkal as he pulls out the cover drive to get a boundary. The next ball is edged and it has raced to the boundary as well. Two very different shots with the same outcome. RR 22/1 after 3 overs 

Did one just see Sanju Samson bowing to MS Dhoni when he came for the toss? At least, that's what it seemed like when the two captains shook hands in the middle. It could be an innocuous show of respect for one's idol, leading his beloved franchise for the 200th time in his own den, and Samson didn't hide the fact that he holds the Chennai Super Kings skipper in high regard. “Always a pleasure to come to Chepauk to play against CSK and Mahi bhai,” he said. And Dhoni always comes across as a warm and affectionate mentor for youngsters who look up to him.

Some may feel the gesture takes a bit of competitive edge off the game, and advocate a more hard-nosed approach. But the runs and wickets that matter have to be earned when the match gets underway. Respect for one's opponent is one of the qualities that make cricket a special game, and doesn't come in the way of giving one's absolute best when the contest actually begins. Good to see that some still attach some value to it, even in a high-pressure franchise tournament like the IPL, where the money invested in players becomes a major statistic.

Tushar Deshpande in to bowl the 2nd over and gets swing straightaway as Buttler opts to leave the ball. Gets off the mark with a single in the second ball. A couple of runs from the 3rd ball as Jaiswal shows good intent. And he's gone!!! Tries to hit it and gets a mistimed shot as the ball goes high and Dube takes the catch. RR 11/1 after 1.4 overs

The players are out in the middle and Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler will open the batting for the Royals while Akash Singh will open the attack. Good start by the bowler as he gets two dots right off the bat (pardon the pun). The 3rd ball is shot right to third man and you would think that Theekshana has it covered but the ball goes right through him for  a boundary. Jaiswal continues with his good nick as he follows it up with four more. RR 8/0 after 1 over

Rajasthan Royals Subs: Riyan Parag, Donavon Ferreira, KM Asif, Adam Zampa, Joe Root

Chennai Super Kings Subs: Ambati Rayudu, Mitchell Santner, Subhranshu Senapati, Shaik Rasheed, RS Hangargekar

Thus far if his batting is concerned, CSK captain MS Dhoni has been relegated to a couple of cameos this season. Against Gujarat Titans, he accumulated a four and a six in the last over whereas against Lucknow, he bashed back to back sixes off Mark Wood to mark a special homecoming for CSK at Chepauk after four years. Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar, however, believes that Dhoni should bat up the order.

“I am hoping MS Dhoni promotes himself higher in the batting order. So that he gets to play more than two or three overs in the games. He can make that difference for CSK with his batting because he is capable of scoring big runs,” Gavaskar said on Star Sports.

Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ajinkya Rahane, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni(w/c), Sisanda Magala, Maheesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande, Akash Singh

Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson(w/c), Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jason Holder, Kuldeep Sen, Sandeep Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal

MS Dhoni: We will bowl first. It maybe slightly on the slower side,different from the first game. Dew may play a role and it might get better in the second innings. (On his 200th game as CSK captain in the IPL) It feels good and also I feel the crowd has been fantastic. Also the fact that we started in the old stadium, it was very hot and humid. But now it feels like we're playing in Switzerland. It's good to play. We have seen cricket change - how T20 was played at that point of time till now, a lot has changed.The crowd has been fantastic. We have had injury concerns and players were unavailable, so we have done well.

Sanju Samson: We would have liked to bowl first too. We have started well but we need to continue the momentum. We are playing at Chepauk after a long time. We have experience and the youngsters to do that. It has always been a pleasure to come to Chepauk and play here. Boulty misses out due to a small niggle and we have a couple of changes, you will come to know that. It's difficult to keep track with the sub rule

It's time for the toss and MS Dhoni and Sanju Samson are in the middle. The coin goes up and Dhoni wins it. CSK will bowl first against the Rajasthan Royals. 

"Lots of cracks, not a lot of grass. The surface is firm enough here but fully expect the spinners and cutters to play a major role in this type of surface. The way the openers approach the game in the powerplay can have an impact on the game. In the middle overs, the spinners will come into play. In the game against LSG, the spinners extracted good turn. It is going to turn and there will be a bit of bounce too. The key will be to bowl in the right lengths, on the 5-6 metres area," says Nick Knight

Coming to the Purple Cap stats, LSG's Mark Wood is in the lead with 9 wickets, followed by RR's Yuzvendra Chahal with 8. GT's Rashid Khan is 3rd with 8 while LSG's Ravi Bishnoi (6) and KKR's Sunil Narine (6) are fourth and fifth respectively. Follow the Purple Cap race here.

In the race for the Orange Cap, Punjab Kings captain Shikhar Dhawan leads the charts with 225 runs, followed by Delhi Capitals' David Warner whio has 209. CSK's Ruturaj Gaikwad is 3rd with 189 while RCB captain Faf du Plessis (175) and RCB's Virat Kohli (164) are fourth and fifth. Follow the Orange Cap race here.

The pitch at Chepauk will be a real mystery tonight as even MS Dhoni has said that he does not know what to expect from it. It might assist turn or might turn into a belter like against Lucknow in the previous match.

A clash that will have quite the ramifications on the league table sees Chennai Super Kings currently at 5th and Rajasthan Royals at 2nd. If CSK gets the victory tonight they will dispace the Royals and gain the 2nd position while a Royals victory will see them go to 6 points and depending on the run rate, stay first or leapfrog current leaders LSG.

Ravindra Jadeja will be hoping to gift Mahendra Singh Dhoni a victory in his big day. Dhoni is set to saunter out in the middle against RR as the CSK captain for the 200th time and Jadeja wants to make the moment memorable. 

“What can I say. He is a legend of not only CSK, he is a legend of Indian cricket. I would like to wish him good luck. Hopefully, we will win the game tomorrow and give it as a gift to him on his 200th match as captain. Hope to continue the momentum of how we have played in the last two games,”  Jadeha jad said at the pre-match press conference on Tuesday.

Ajinkya Rahane scored what was the fastest 50 at that time in this edition's IPL against Mumbai Indians on Saturday before it was overshadowed by LSG's Nicholas Pooran against RCB, was lavished with praise by former India coach Ravi Shastri.

“The timing, it was the purity of the innings was a treat to the eyes (against MI). Lovely shots, I’m glad for him. He’s such a team man. He’s captained India, whichever franchise or team he plays for, he might not be captain but you can be rest assured, you won’t get a better team man. Even if it comes to carrying water, or in dressing room, helping out someone. He’s a top-class example of the way the game should be played,” Shastri said.

Chennai's Deepak Chahar sustained yet another injury while bowling the first over against the Mumbai Indians last Saturday and invoked the ire of former India coach Ravi Shastri. "In the last three-four years, there are quite a few who are permanent residents of the NCA. Soon they will get a resident permit there too. It’s not a good thing at all. It’s unreal. You are not playing that much cricket to be injured again and again. You can’t play 4 matches on the trot. What are you going to the NCA for?,” Shastri said