CHENNAI, India (AP) — Defending champion Chennai Super Kings remained in contention for the playoffs after beating Rajasthan Royals by five wickets in the Indian Premier League on Sunday.
Chennai prevailed in the low-scoring match thanks to skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad’s 41-ball 42 not out in his team’s successful chase.
Pacers Simarjeet Singh and Tushar Deshpande had shared five wickets to restrict Rajasthan to 141-5 on a slow-paced wicket. Chennai chased that down in 18.2 overs, finishing on 145-5, to seal its first win over the Rajasthan Royals in five games.
With its seventh win in 13 games, Chennai climbed to third in the IPL table on 14 points, the same as Sunrisers Hyderabad but ahead on net run-rate.
Rajasthan is still second with 16 points from 12 games after its third straight loss and needs a solitary win in the remaining two games to confirm its last-four spot.