IPL 2021: Match 12 - CSK vs RR - Who Said What

Very rarely, the team chasing loses at the Wankhede and this time, the Rajasthan Royals (RR) messed up what seemed to be a straight-forward chase against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in match 12 of the Indian Premier League (IPL). After being put in to bat first, Faf du Plessis got the team off to a decent start despite losing Ruturaj Gaikwad early.

Du Plessis got out for 33 and then contributions came right through the order. No batsman crossed the 30-run mark but apart from Ravindra Jadeja, every player got to the double-digit scores until number nine. Dwayne Bravo gave a perfect finishing kick for CSK with an unbeaten 20 off 8 balls to propel the team to 188/9 in 20 overs. Chetan Sakariya picked 3/36 in his four overs for RR while Chris Morris also took two wickets.

The chase was expected to be an easy one for the Royals given the trend at the venue. But Sam Curran got the better of Manan Vohra and Sanju Samson in quick succession to leave them struggling. However, Jos Buttler was class apart at the other end hitting boundaries at will. His 49 were the most sublime runs of the day. But his wicket in the 12th over turned the game on its head.

The Royals collapsed completely from being 87/2 to 95/7 in a matter of 20 balls. Moeen Ali took three wickets as well as RR could only reach 143/9 losing the game by 45 runs.

Man of the Match, Moeen Ali said:

My job here is to try and score as many runs for the team and get a good start. When I went up the order, it wasn’t any easy wicket and I’m pleased with both the departments. I thought as a team we played really well and everyone contributed.

Once the left-handers came in I knew I had a good chance of bowling whenever the captain needs me. I feel it’s a good wicket for the spinners and if you land the ball in the right areas you’ve always got a chance.

CSK skipper MS Dhoni said:

I always look at what’s the best at that point of time. I felt Sam bowled really well and Deepak I think he tried the knuckleball too much and felt that a good start (with the ball) was important.

It was spinning a bit, I don’t really mind Jos playing the reverse where it’s turning a bit. It’s important to have that sixth bowler, it always helps and it was stopping a bit for spinners. There was slightly less dew than the usual. I felt we should have scored more and try to get as many as possible.

A lot has changed over the years and right from the start we kept a very good atmosphere and a lot of the bowlers have been under the pump last year but this time they are enjoying bowling on these wickets.

When you are playing, you don’t really want anyone to say he’s unfit. Performances are something that’s guaranteed. I wasn’t guaranteeing performances when I was 24, I can’t guarantee when I am 40, but at least if people can’t point finger at me that he’s unfit then that will be a big positive for me. I have to keep up with the younger guys, they are very fast, it’s good to challenge them.

RR skipper Sanju Samson said:

I thought it was a good score to chase down but we lost too many wickets in the middle overs. Our bowlers bowled really well, they batted too deep. 10-15 runs extra we gave down the line.

We never expected that (turn), the dew didn’t come and the ball was still turning, so it was a bit shocking to see. It’s very important to maintain a good composure, this format demands us to score at a higher risk rate; hence, it’s very normal to get out often. I keep working on the basics and giving myself some time at the centre.

He’s (Chetan Sakariya) been doing really well, we lost the match but there are a lot of positives.