Chennai Super Kings lost match 68, their last game of the season, to Rajasthan Royals by five wickets. This is only the second time in IPL history when CSK failed to qualify for the playoffs, the first time being in 2020. Nearly nothing went right for the defending champions this season. MS Dhoni handed over the captaincy to Ravindra Jadeja a day before their first game of the season, while Jadeja handed it back to Dhoni midway through the season due to the team’s poor performance.
The Royals, meanwhile, have now moved up to the second spot in the points table. This is sad news for the Lucknow Super Giants, who lost out on a top two finish. The Qualifier 1 will be played between the Royals and Titans on May 24, while the eliminator 1 will be played the next day between Lucknow and either Delhi Capitals or Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Talking about match 68, the Super Kings posted just 150 after batting first. Majority of the runs were scored by Moeen Ali, who hit 93 off 57. For the Royals, the chase was not as simple as many would have thought. They didn’t wrap up the chase until 19.4 overs, with Yashasvi Jaiswal scoring a half-century Ravichandran Ashwin remaining unbeaten on 40.
“Feels really good, it has been standout. Almost everyone has stood out for us. I didn't expect to come back so strong, so well. It was a great effort,” Sanju Samson said after the game.
Image credit: IPL
