IPL 2021 Chennai Super Kings (CSK) vs Rajasthan Royals: HIGHLIGHTS

IPL 2021 CSK vs RR Highlights: That is it from our live coverage of Match 47 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 where Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will take on Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. 

23:23 IST: Rajasthan beat Chennai by seven wickets to keep playoff hopes alive in IPL 2021. 

23:01 IST: WICKET! Thakur dismisses Samson for 28 as Rajasthan go three down. But Dube's 59 has put the Royals closer to a massive win. This will subsequently have a positive impact on their NRR in the battle for the fourth spot in the playoffs. 

22:27 IST: Rajasthan took just 49 balls to reach the 100-run mark. Much of the hard work has been done by the opening pair, but Dube has now hammered three sixes - two consecutive against Moeen and one against Jadeja. Rajasthan need 71 more from 60 deliveries at 7.1 runs per over. 

22:04 IST: 81 runs is now the highest powerplay score by any team this season in IPL 2021, surpassing the previous total of 67 by Delhi Capitals against KKR in Ahmedabad. Overall, it is the eighth highest by a team in IPL history and the highest ever for the Royals in tournament history. The opening pair of Jaiswal and Lewis hit five sixes and nine boundaries to get the Royals off to a stunning start in the chase of 190. Jaiswal even scored the third-fastest half-century of the season, and joint second-fastest for the Royals, getting to the mark in just 19 balls. 

21:33 IST: Ruturaj Gaikwad: The wicket was holding up a bit initially, they started off well in the powerplay. My plan was to bat till the 13th or 14th over, so that I could capitalize on it later. I'm just looking to time the ball and maintain my shape. At the end of the day the team score matters. Individual score doesn't matter, unless and until your team is winning. We were looking for 160, then I thought 170, 180 and finally we got 190. I had timed that ball well and it was the shorter boundary, so I knew it was going to be a six. We need to bowl well and execute our plans.

21:30 IST: WHAT A KNOCK! This was a ninth IPL century by a CSK player and seventh against the Royals. Rituraj became the youngest CSK player to hit a century

21:14 IST: Ruturaj becomes the first batsman this season to complete 500 runs. He also ahs the Orange Cap now, surpassing Punjab Kings captain KL Rahul to take the top spot. He is now seven runs short of his maiden IPL century. 

20:48 IST: WICKET! It's Tewatia once again! Widish ball from the leggie as Moeen shimmied down the track to chase the ball, missed it by miles and Samson completed the formalities. 

20:40 IST: Ruturaj Gaikwad scores his seventh IPL fifty, all for Chennai Super Kings. Gaikwad's scores in UAE leg of IPL 2021 - 88* vs MI, 38 vs RCB, 40 vs KKR, 45 vs SRH and 50* (today) vs RR

20:38 IST: 53 runs added by Chennai in the first seven overs after powerplay with five boundaries and two wickets. Chennai remain dominant in the middle overs with their scoring rate of 8.59. Incidentally, the only other team to score at a faster rate than Chennai during the phase is Rajasthan (8.74). 

20:21 IST: Suresh Raina's poor run of form continues this season, scoring 160 runs in 12 matches at just 20 with a strike rate of 125.98. The numbers are his worst returns in any IPL season. Should Chennai retain their vice-captain for 2022 season?

20:14 IST: WICKET! Tewatia picked his second wicket in the game, dismissing Suresh Raina for just 3. Got down on one knee to slog sweep the delivery, but holed out to Dube at deep mid-wicket. 

20:06 IST: WICKET! Tewatia provided the first breakthrough for Rajasthan, removing du Plessis for 25. Du Plessis shimmied down the track against the juicy flighted delivery, but the ball kept straight, deceived the batsman and Samson completed the formalities. 

20:00 IST: A quick look at the playoffs scenario for Rajasthan, with Chennai already through. RR need to win today which keep in sight for 14 points at the end of the league stage which will keep NRR out of the equation. If they lose today, RR will have to aim for 12 points in the league stage, but in that scenario, Samson's side will hope for KKR, PBKS and MI to lose all their remaining games.

19:45 IST: Another solid start from Chennai's opening pair, Gaikwad and du Plessis as they laced 20 runs in the first three overs against Rajasthan. The three boundaries struck so far was all against Akash Singh by Gaikwad.

19:08 IST: Here are the playing XI for the two teams...

Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni(w/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Shardul Thakur, KM Asif, Josh Hazlewood

Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI): Evin Lewis, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson(w/c), Shivam Dube, Glenn Phillips, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Akash Singh, Mayank Markande, Chetan Sakariya, Mustafizur Rahman

19:06 IST: TOSS UPDATE: Rajasthan Royals won the toss and opted to bowl first against Chennai

Pitch report: It's a new pitch and has not been used before this season. This is the best looking pitch, flat wicket with a good covering of grass. Wouldn't be much quick, neither will it spin much. It has an odd crack though. The fast bowlers need to stick to the back of a length area and use their variations. Expect it to be a batting-friendly pitch, reckon Nick Knight and Pommie Mbangwa.

CSK vs RR IPL 2021, Preview: A play-off berth already sealed, former champions Chennai Super Kings would look to ensure that the momentum remains intact when they take on a struggling Rajasthan Royals in their Indian Premier League match here on Saturday. Chennai are currently leading the standings with 18 points from 11 games, followed by Delhi Capitals (16 points), Royal Challengers Bangalore (14) and Kolkata Knight Riders (10).

Three-time champions Chennai would look to continue their winning momentum as they take on a struggling Rajasthan unit. Chennai on Thursday became the first team to seal a playoff berth with a six-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad. While Chennai are currently leading the points table with 18 points from 11 matches, Rajasthan are languishing seventh with just four wins so far. The Sanju Samson-led side needs to win their remaining three games to stay in contention for the play-off spot. A defeat against Chennai, however, would end their slim chances of achieving a top-four finish.

With eight points from 11 games, RR are placed second from the bottom in the eight-team table and a loss on Saturday will end their slim chances of qualifying for the knockout stage. The equation is simple for RR -- win the remaining three games handsomely and stay in contention for the fourth play-off spot. [FULL PREVIEW]