Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) bowling worries continued as its bowlers sprayed the ball all around the park at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur to ‘hand over’ the match on a platter to Rajasthan Royals, who were helped a lot by Jos Buttler’s match-winning 95 not out off 60 balls.

CSK won the toss and opted to bat on what looked like a sluggish wicket where the ball didn’t come to the bat after 10 overs as its batsmen struggled to time the ball.  After scoring a healthy 90/1 in 10 overs, CSK couldn’t even double the figure as it ended up at 177/4 in 20 overs.  Watson made a slow (by his own standards) 31-ball 39 but Raina delighted fans with a 36-ball 52, studded with six fours and a six, but got out at the wrong time in the 13th over.

Dhoni and Billings struggled to put bat to the ball but somehow managed to stitch together a 55-run partnership in more than six overs.  This sluggish rate of scoring, in the hindsight, might have cost CSK the match.  However, as it turned out, CSK’s bowlers sprayed the ball without sticking together the stump-to-stump line.  Too many short balls and balls down the leg-side were easy pickings for the in-form Jos Buttler, who would be looking to torment the Indians when they are scheduled to visit England in about a few weeks’ time, who notched up his fourth successive 50.

RR’s run-chase started with a bang as Buttler scored 12 runs – three boundaries – off David Willey’s first three balls.  Except Ravindra Jadega and Shardul Thakur (he too was guilty of bowling the wrong line), all other bowlers bowled in the wrong areas and were punished appropriately.  Krishnappa Gowtham, who opens RR’s bowling attack, made a quick-fire 13 off 4 balls including two sixes which sealed the match in RR’s favour.  It needed 12 off the final over but when Jos  Buttler picked up a Bravo slower ball and carted it over the mid-wicket fence for a six, it still needed two off two balls.

Shane Watson attempted an unnecessary run-out off the penultimate, thus making the batsmen scamper through for a second (winning) run.  Had he not done so, the match could have gone into the ‘Super Over’ stage which could have provided CSK the upper-hand.  Bowling worries, fielding goof-ups and some batting errors cost CSK the match though it is confirmed that it would enter the play-off stage.

RR’s win now throws the field open for MI, KKR, RCB and RR – literally and mathematically – to be able to qualify for the play-offs!

Man of the match: Joss Buttler

Brief scores: CSK: 176/4 in 20 overs (Watson 39, Raina 52, Billings 27, Dhoni 33*, Archer 2-42) lost to RR: 177/6 in 19.5 overs (Buttler 95*, Samson 21, Binny 22, Thakur 1-22)