Ruturaj Gaikwad hits 101 not out of 60 balls, sealing the first IPL one hundred with six off the final delivery of Chennai tickets; The batsman helps lead the table to CSK to 189-4 in Abu Dhabi, only for Rajasthan to chase him with 15 balls to spare to rekindle their play-off aspirations in style.
Ruturaj Gaikwad scored a sensational century in vain as the Rajasthan Royals fought their way to a 190 goal in just 17.3 overs to defeat the Chennai Super Kings and rekindle their Indian Premier League play-off hopes.
Gaikwad (101 without 60 balls) hit the first hundred since the tournament resumed in the United Arab Emirates and the fourth of the season, with Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson of Rajasthan and Devdutt Padikkal of Royal Challengers Bangalore having touched tons in India to early this year.
Gaikwad nailed five sixes and nine fours in his first IPL century, which he achieved from the last ball of innings by beating Royals bowler Mustafizur Rahman for a commanding high over deep midwicket.
The 24-year-old advanced fifty to three figures in just 17 balls, leading him to surpass Punjab Kings captain KL Rahul as the top scorer in runs in the 2021 competition, while his unwavering position of 55 of 22 deliveries with Ravindra Jadeja (32nd off 15) came amid the Super Kings looting 89 runs from their last six overs when they went 189-4 in Abu Dhabi.
However, that total proved insufficient as 19-year-old Royals starter Yashavi Jaiswal (50 of 21) hit 50 of 19 balls during a welcome 77 start with Evin Lewis (27 of 12) within six overs. Before Shivam Dube (64th versus 42), Captain Samson (28 versus 24) and Glenn Phillips (14th versus 8) led their team to a seven-wicket victory with two and a half overs to spare.
Jaiswal went six, six, four, six off Josh Hazlewood in a fifth of 22 runs as he raced to his first IPL fifty, while Dube crushed six in a row off Moeen Ali in the 10th lap en route to a 31-ball half-century maiden. .
Dube and Phillips were two of the Royals’ five personnel changes as they looked to break a three-game losing streak, with Liam Livingstone one of those who fell after scores of 25, one, four and six.
Livingstone’s England teammate Sam Curran was recalled by Chennai but had a night to forget, going 0-55 from four overs after going 0-56 from four overs in his previous game. against Kolkata Knight Riders.
The Royals’ impressive victory brought them to sixth place, tied on 10 points with fourth-ranked Kolkata, in a run stalled for the play-offs, with only the net run rate separating those two teams, as well as the Punjab. Kings, fifth and seventh. – placed the Mumbai Indians before the last two group games.
Meanwhile, the defeat of Chennai, which topped the table, ended a four-game winning streak, although MS Dhoni’s men are already guaranteed a top four result and will now seek to cement a place in the top two, which it would give them two chances to make the final on October 15th.
Gaikwad didn’t deserve to be on the losing end, showing his class from the first ball of the game as he shoved Royals locksmith Akash Singh across a stupendous quarter straight across the floor.
Other highlights included six straight off Rahul Tewatia at 15 and then taking Akash’s 16 for 17, but the climax came with the final ball when he pitched Mustafizur for six to seal his century and go to 508 runs for the Campaign. .
Gaikwad, who was 57 with Moeen Ali (21 of 17) for the third wicket, looked in danger of missing three figures as Jadeja dominated the strike in the final overs.
But the opener went on strike with two deliveries remaining and after one ball of points first, he broke the next one away for the milestone high.
The races continued to flow in pursuit of Rajasthan, beginning when starters Lewis and Jaiswal hit 13 limits between themselves within five overs.
When Lewis and Jaiswal departed, Dube, who dominated an 89-of-58-ball position with Samson, took over the big shot as the Royals headed for a race-pace victory.
There is a double header IPL live on Sky Sports Cricket on Sunday. Watch Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Punjab Kings from 10.50am and then Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad from 2.50pm
