IPL 2025: Rajasthan Royals vanquish Chennai Super Kings by narrow 6- run margin to register first win in tournament

The Rajasthan Royals defeated the Chennai Super Kings by a narrow 6-run margin in the 11th game of the ongoing Indian Premier League 2025 (IPL 2025). The must-win game for both teams was played at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Sunday. The visiting skipper, Ruturaj Gaikwad, won the toss and asked the Royals to bat first. 

Batting first, the hosts posted 182 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in the allotted 20 overs. Number three batter Nitish Rana played a fiery half-century knock, scoring swashbuckling 81 runs off just 36 balls, with 10 fours and five sixes, followed by skipper Riyan Parag’s 37 runs off 28 balls, with two fours and two sixes. 

Apart from Rana and Parag, Sanju Samson and Shimron Hetmyer also added the knocks of 20 and 19 runs, respectively, to help RR post a 180+ total in the first innings. Khaleel Ahmed, Noor Ahmed, and Matheesha Pathirana scalped 2 wickets each, alongside a wicket each claimed by Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.

RR bowlers restrict CSK to hand second successive defeat

While chasing the target, CSK got a big blow in the first over when star RR pacer Jofra Archer dismissed their opener Rachin Ravindra on a duck. However, they stabilised, getting 46 runs added for the second wicket by Rahul Tripathi and skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad. Tripathi scored 23 runs off 19 balls, with three fours and a six.

Skipper Gaikwad scored a crucial half-century, getting 63 runs off 44 balls, with seven fours and a six. Besides him, star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja also showed a bit of resilience with a knock of 32 runs off 22 balls, with two fours and a six, alongside MS Dhoni’s 16 runs off 11 balls, with one four and a six.

However, CSK failed to chase down the total and they were restricted to the score of 176 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in the entire 20 overs and lost the game by 6 runs to face their second consecutive defeat in the tournament. Star RR spinner Wanindu Hasaranga claimed a brilliant four-wicket haul (4 wickets at 35 runs in 4 overs), alongside a wicket each picked by Jofra Archer and Sandeep Sharma.

Star RR batter Nitish Rana won the ‘Player of the Match’ award for his match-winning half-century. Notably, it is the first win for the Rajasthan Royals in their third game of the ongoing season, after facing two consecutive defeats.