IPL 2018: MS Dhoni disappointed while Rajasthan Royals celebrate victory

The Indian Premier League is in the business end and most of the remaining games are crucial to the team’s fortunes. The Sunrisers Hyderabad have already qualified while the Delhi Daredevils have been knocked out. All the other teams need to tighten their screws and pull up victories to make it to the final four. There is going to be a huge tussle for the fourth place as three teams are equal on points with NRR separating the trio.

The Rajasthan Royals had a huge task at hand as they were facing the Chennai Super Kings who had far lesser problems than the men in blue. On a sluggish wicket, MS Dhoni opted to bat first and the yellow brigade put 176 on board which was more than the par score. However, Jos Butler played one of the finest knocks to take Rajasthan home. He remained unbeaten on 95 off 60 deliveries to ensure that home fans are not disappointed. It was pandemonium in the final over and the Englishman struck the winning run as the Royals charged out of their dugout while MS Dhoni sunk his head in disappointment.

A nail-biting finish

While CSK has been blessed with top batsmen, their bowlers haven’t come to the party. Death bowling was always a concern for MS Dhoni and co. Krishnappa Gowtham struck two massive sixes off David Willey in the penultimate over to bring down the equation to 12 required from the final over. Butler had started strong but he looked tired in the middle overs and just when it looked that Bravo would pull it off, Butler showed why he is a very highly rated batsman.

Bravo started off well with a dot ball and conceded just two off his second delivery. Butler survived the third delivery as Bravo slipped and failed to take the catch. He slammed the next ball for six and an overthrow from Shane Watson in the fifth ball ensured that Royals went past CSK’s total of 176. MS Dhoni was absolutely disappointed with his bowlers as they failed to execute the plans.

The Super Kings need not worry much as they are only a victory away from securing a playoff berth. They need to address their death bowling issues quickly to make further progress in the tournament.

[interaction id=”5af077e369f1ea5c3e6f62ed”]

Stay updated on ‘today’s cricket news‘ with CricTracker.com