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Rajasthan Royals (RR) opened their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 campaign with a thrilling 6-run victory over Chennai Super Kings in Guwahati, securing their first win of the season under stand-in captain Riyan Parag. Despite putting up 182/9 on the board, Parag felt his team fell short with the bat but made up for it with an excellent bowling and fielding display.
"Took a lot of time, just two games, but felt really long. We still think we were 20 short. We lost a couple of wickets quickly (in the middle overs). But we bowled really well. We have had two tough games, but the chat was to forget those games, come with a fresh mindset, and have a good game collectively," Parag said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo. One of the tactical decisions that stood out was Jofra Archer not completing his full quota of overs. Parag explained that it was a situational call, made possible by the luxury of having multiple bowling options. "Just assessing the situation, luckily had seven options. Went with the gut feeling," he revealed. The Royals also put up an exceptional fielding performance, which Parag credited as a key factor in their victory. He praised the work of their fielding coach, Dishant Yagnik, emphasising the team's commitment to improving their fielding standards. "Fielding always makes up for the runs we were short. We are working a lot with Dishant Yagnik, our fielding coach, and it is paying off," he added. Coming to the match, CSK opted to bowl first after winning the toss. After Jaiswal was dismissed early, an 82-run stand between Sanju Samson (20 in 16 balls, with a four and a six) and Nitish Rana (81 in 33 balls, with six fours and six fours). Later on, skipper Riyan Parag (37 in 28 balls, with two fours and two sixes) held one end steady, but he kept running out of partners. In the end, RR was restricted to 182/9 in their 20 overs. Noor Ahmed and Matheesha Pathirana (2/28) each were the pick of the bowlers for CSK. Khaleel Ahmed (2/38) also delivered a fine spell for CSK. During the run-chase, CSK lost Rachin Ravindra early for a duck. Following that came a 46-run partnership between Rahul Tripathi (23 in 19 balls, with two fours and a six) and skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad. Shivam Dube (18 in 10 balls, with a four and two sixes) and Vijay Shankar (nine in six balls) fell early, reducing CSK to 92/4. Gaikwad did score a fighting 63 in 44 balls, with seven fours and a six, but his wicket changed the game for CSK, leaving them out at 129/5 in 15.5 overs. MS Dhoni (16 in 10 balls, with a four and a six), Ravindra Jadeja (32* in 22 balls, with two fours a six) and Jamie Overton (11* in four balls, with a six) tried their best, but CSK fell six runs short at 176/6 in their 20 overs. Wanindu Hasaranga (4/35) was the pick of the bowlers for RR, while Sandeep Sharma and Jofra Archer got a wicket each. With this win, RR finally has two points in front of their name and are at the ninth spot in the points table. CSK is in seventh spot with a win and two losses. (ANI)
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