Yashasvi Jaiswal (50 off 21 balls; 6x4, 3x6) and Shivam Dube (64 not out; 4x4, 4x6) hammered half-centuries to guide Rajasthan Royals to an emphatic seven-wicket win while chasing a tall 190 against Chennai Super Kings in Abu Dhabi on Saturday night.
Their clinical, pulsating performance in a high-pressure chase not only spiced up the playoff race but also laid to waste the efforts of CSK opener Ruturaj Gaikwad, who scored a flamboyant maiden century for the table toppers.
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Rajasthan needed a win to stay alive in the playoffs race, and the incredible batting efforts of Jaiswal and Dube ensured the men in pink will live to fight another day.
Few would have guessed that Rajasthan would have chased down the total with such ease, with 15 balls to spare, when CSK posted 189-4.
It was Jaiswal who gave Rajasthan a head start and the belief with a flamboyant half-century. After his departure, his Mumbai teammate Dube made it a point to hang in till the end and guide the team home.
Royals skipper Sanju Samson's decision to field first seemed vindicated in the end but Ruturaj and then Ravindra Jadeja lower down the order (32 off 15; 4x4, 1x6) would have given him some nervous moments as they toyed with the bowling on a Abu Dhabi pitch amenable to strokeplay.
1/8:A royal upset
<p>Opener Ruturaj Gaikwad hit his maiden Indian Premier League century but failed to inspire Chennai Super Kings who were outplayed by Rajasthan Royals on Saturday. (BCCI/IPL/ANI Photo)</p>
2/8:Gaikwad all guns blazing
<p>Gaikwad's unbeaten 101 in 60 balls steered Chennai to 189/4 after being invited to bat first in Abu Dhabi. (BCCI/IPL/ANI Photo)</p>
3/8:Playoff hopes alive
<p>Royals overhauled their target in 17.3 overs with Shivam Dube unbeaten on 64 as they won by seven wickets to keep their playoff hopes alive. (BCCI/IPL/PTI Photo)</p>
4/8:Maiden IPL ton
<p>Gaikwad's knock was laced with nine fours and five sixes as he reached his hundred with a hit over the fence on the final ball of Chennai's innings. (BCCI/IPL/ANI Photo)</p>
5/8:Vital stands
<p>Gaikwad put on key partnerships including an unbeaten stand of 55 with Ravindra Jadeja (32*), to become the tournament's leading batsman with 508 runs in 12 matches. (BCCI/IPL/ANI Photo)</p>
6/8:All guns blazing
<p>Royals came all guns blazing in their reply as openers Evin Lewis (27) and Yashaswi Jaiswal (50) set up the chase that was kept up by Samson, Dube and Glenn Phillips. (BCCI/IPL/PTI Photo)</p>
7/8:Jaiswal smashes Hazlewood
<p>Jaiswal smashed 50 off 21 balls which included some delectable sixes off Josh Hazlewood. (BCCI/IPL/PTI Photo)</p>
8/8:Destructive Dube
<p>Dube hit an unbeaten 64 off 42 balls as Royals made a short work of a victory target of 190 in just 17.3 overs. (BCCI/IPL/ANI Photo)</p>There were some nail-biting moments for CSK fans towards the end as Gaikwad appeared to be running out of balls to get to his hundred, but he managed to seal the issue with a spectacular last-ball six. Gaikwad, who now has the Orange Cap, scored his second fifty off only 17 balls.
