Super Kings rely on Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja: Crucial impact with both bat and ball for Chennai Super Kings

Ravindra Jadeja starred with both bat and ball as the Chennai Super Kings recorded a hard-fought seven-run win over the Rajasthan Royals.

India all-rounder Jadeja made a vital 36 not out with the bat to help the Super Kings recover from a rather sudden batting collapse that had seen them slip from 59-1 to 74-5.

Their final score of 140-6 proved enough however, as the Royals lost wickets at regular intervals to be bowled out for 133 with a delivery to spare, Jadeja helping himself to figures 4-33 to make the decision over who should be named man of the match an easy one.

He crucially dismissed Rajasthan captain Shane Watson (seven) and Sanju Samson, who made 16, with successive balls, the latter clipping back a return catch to leave the score at 44-4.

Stephen Smith also fell to Jadeja’s left-arm spin for 19, while Rajat Bhatia’s departure for 23 seemed to all but end the Royals’ challenge at 113-9.

Dhawal Kulkarni made a top score of 28 not out from number 10 to keep his team alive through to the final over, only for his attempts to be ended with the run out of last man Pravin Tambe.

Moved up

The result moves Chennai up to second in the table, having now triumphed in back-to-back outings following an opening loss at the start of the seventh Indian Premier League season.

Dwayne Smith was the only top-order batsman on either side to cut loose in the match, the West Indies all-rounder hitting three sixes and six fours to make an even 50 from 28 balls.

No other member of the Super Kings’ much-vaunted top five made it into double figures; Brendon McCullum departed early for six while Suresh Raina managed only four to his side’s cause, Bhatia removing the left-hander during a magical spell that saw him take 2-13.

He also ran out Faf du Plessis, deflecting a drive from Mahendra Singh Dhoni back onto the stumps at the non-striker’s end to catch the South African well short of his ground.

Dhoni hit Tambe out to Faulker at deep square leg to go for five, but Jadeja’s undefeated 33-ball knock made sure Chennai reached a score that proved too many for their opponents to overhaul.