It was a case of so close yet so far for Rajasthan Royals on Thursday as they went down to Chennai Super Kings in a last-over thriller to continue their disappointing run in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The inaugural champions have struggled in this year’s competition and they are currently in the seventh position with just two points.

Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes scored important runs for the hosts as they were able to post a total of 151/7 in 20 overs despite losing wickets at regular intervals. At the end of the innings, Shreyas Gopal and Jofra Archer took responsibility and it was the late blitz from the duo that played a major role in taking them to that total.

While bowling, Dhawal Kulkarni and Jaydev Unadkat both struck early but MS Dhoni and Ajinkya Rahane stitched together a brilliant partnership to lay the foundation for CSK’s victory. With 18 runs needed off the final over, Stokes was unable to maintain his nerves and Mitchell Santner clinched the game with a six off the last ball.

For their next match against Mumbai Indians, Krishnappa Gowtham is expected to make his return and it will most probably replace the young Riyan Parag. There is also a chance that Ashton Turner will be handed his debut for Rajasthan Royals and he can replace Ben Stokes who will surely be exhausted after the last match.

Predicted XI: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (wk), Steve Smith, Rahul Tripathi, Ashton Turner, Krishnappa Gowtham, Shreyas Gopal, Jofra Archer, Jaydev Unadkat, Dhawal Kulkarni.

First Published: Apr 12, 2019 22:35 IST