IPL 2020, CSK vs RR as it happened: Smith, Buttler guide Rajasthan Royals to comfortable win

RR WIN BY 7 WICKETS!
This has been a dominating performance by the men in pink. Smith remains unbeaten on 26 off 34, Buttler on 70 off 48. CSK suffer their seventh defeat of the season.

After 17 overs, RR are 124/3 (Smith 25, Buttler 69)
Smith hits a four, Buttler hits a six. 12 runs come from that Chawla over. RR need two to win.

After 16 overs, RR are 112/3 (Smith 20, Buttler 62)
All the players are just going through the motions now. Shardul Thakur finishes with figures of 0/34. Time for a quite unnecessary strategic timeout.

After 15 overs, RR are 108/3 (Smith 18, Buttler 60)
FIFTY for Jos Buttler! The right-hander is guiding his team towards a comfortable victory in Abu Dhabi. Big over for RR as Buttler hits Piyush Chawla for a hat-trick of fours.

After 14 overs, RR are 92/3 (Smith 15, Buttler 47)
Shot! Smith breaks the shackles with a lovely scoop over short-fine for four. Nine come from Shardul’s third over.

After 13 overs, RR are 83/3 (Smith 9, Buttler 44)
MS Dhoni finally gets spin back into the attack and Piyush Chawla concedes four runs in his first over. RR need 43 off 42.

After 12 overs, RR are 79/3 (Smith 8, Buttler 41)
Stunning strokeplay from Buttler! The right-hander cuts one for four over point before hitting a sumptuous drive over mid-off for six. 13 runs come from that Shardul over. RR are cruising now.

After 11 overs, RR are 66/3 (Smith 8, Buttler 28)
Sam Curran returns to the attack and bowls a tidy over. RR need 60 off 54.

After 10 overs, RR are 59/3 (Smith 7, Buttler 23)
Shardul Thakur joins the attack and concedes 8 runs in his first over. Jos Buttler with a stylish flick past mid-wicket for four.

After 9 overs, RR are 51/3 (Smith 7, Buttler 16)
Shot! Hazlewood pitches it up and Buttler lifts it straight back for four. Time for a strategic timeout. RR need 75 off 66.

After 8 overs, RR are 43/3 (Smith 6, Buttler 9)
Deepak Chahar finishes with brilliant figures of 2/18 from his 4 overs. The RR batsmen seem content with dealing in singles and doubles for now.

After 7 overs, RR are 40/3 (Smith 3, Buttler 9)
Superb reverse sweep for four by Buttler. Jadeja concedes nine in his first over.

After 6 overs, RR are 31/3 (Smith 1, Buttler 2)
Smith survives! CSK appeal for LBW and take the review after Hazlewood strikes Smith on the pad, but the replay shows there was a faint edge. RR can still win this comfortably if they don’t panic. But CSK have surely given themselves a chance with these early strikes.

After 4.3 overs, RR are 28/3 – Samson is gone!
OUT! Sanju Samson falls cheaply yet again. He gets a faint edge trying to work it towards fine-leg and MS Dhoni takes a superb catch. CSK are dominating at the moment! Deepak Chahar gets his second wicket.

After 3.2 overs, RR are 28/2 – Uthappa is gone!
OUT! And now Uthappa is gone! CSK are fighting back with the ball! The right-hander attempts an odd scoop shot but hits it to Dhoni. Hazlewood gets the wicket.

After 3 overs, RR are 26/1 – Stokes is gone!
OUT! Stokes was going all-out from the get-go and he has paid the price. He hits a powerful drive for four before chopping the next ball on to his stumps. Chahar gets the wicket as Stokes walks back for 19 off 11.

After 2 overs, RR are 20/0 (Stokes 14, Uthappa 1)
Stokes is going all-out! He gets a top-edge for four to the fine-leg fence, before slashing hard at the last ball which falls short of the third-man fielder. Ten runs come from Hazlewood’s first over.

After 1 over, RR are 10/0 (Stokes 9, Uthappa 0)
An eventful first over! First Stokes hits one past extra-cover for four, then CSK concede four overthrows, and finally Uthappa survives an LBW shout. The umpire said not-out and the review showed umpire’s call. CSK retain the review.

9.27 pm: We’re ready for the chase in Abu Dhabi! RR are opening the batting with Ben Stokes and Robin Uthappa. CSK have given the new ball to Deepak Chahar. Target: 126 runs. Here we go!

CSK FINISH WITH 125/5
Ravindra Jadeja remains not-out on 35 off 30. RR will surely be the happier of the two teams at the halfway stage.

After 19 overs, CSK are 118/5 (Jadeja 32, Kedar 1)
Back-to-back fours for Jadeja! A MUCH-NEEDED push for Chennai. Archer finishes with figures of 1/20 from his 4 overs.

After 17.4 overs, CSK are 107/5 – Dhoni is gone!
OUT! Oh dear, MS Dhoni is run-out trying to steal a second run off a mis-field. He was setting himself up for a big finish but it wasn’t to be.

After 17 overs, CSK are 100/4 (Dhoni 22, Jadeja 22)
Just four runs from Jofra’s third over. How much can Chennai get in the last three?

After 16 overs, CSK are 96/4 (Dhoni 20, Jadeja 20)
Ben Stokes returns to the attack and manages to not concede a boundary. No real urgency from Dhoni and Jadeja yet.

After 15 overs, CSK are 88/4 (Dhoni 16, Jadeja 18)
Rahul Tewatia finishes with figures of 1/18. CSK would want to attack in the last five and get close to 150.

After 14 overs, CSK are 85/4 (Dhoni 14, Jadeja 16)
Much-needed runs for Chennai! Dhoni hits a cover-drive for four before Jadeja picks up two boundaries too. Tyagi struggled to find the right line in that over.

After 13 overs, CSK are 71/4 (Dhoni 9, Jadeja 8)
Shrehas Gopal finishes with superb figures of 1/14 from his four overs. The CSK batsmen content to play him out.

After 12 overs, CSK are 68/4 (Dhoni 7, Jadeja 7)
Tewatia gives away seven runs in his third over. The spinners are doing a great job for RR.

After 11 overs, CSK are 61/4 (Dhoni 4, Jadeja 3)
Leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal is delivering a fine spell for Rajasthan Royals. He has figures of 1/11 after 3 overs.

After 10 overs, CSK are 56/4 – Rayudu is gone!
OUT! Rahul Tewatia removes Ambati Rayudu! That was a nothing shot from Rayudu and a simple catch for Sanju Samson. He attempted an awkward sweep and only managed a top-edge. CSK need something special from captain Dhoni now.

After 9 overs, CSK are 55/3 (Rayudu 13, Dhoni 1)
Gopal nearly gets two wickets in the over! The umpire gives Rayudu out LBW but DRS shows the ball would miss leg-stump. Dhoni at the crease now, his team needs him to stick around.

After 8.2 overs, CSK are 53/3 – Curran is gone!
OUT! Sam Curran never really looked settled at the crease tonight and he has mistimed one straight to long-off. Shreyas Gopal gets the wicket as Curran departs for 22 off 25.

After 8 overs, CSK are 51/2 (Curran 20, Rayudu 12)
Another decent over for RR, just six from it. Rahul Tewatia seemed to have a considerable amount of pain in his toe as he delivered his leg-spins in that over. But he’s carrying on for now.

After 7 overs, CSK are 45/2 (Curran 17, Rayudu 10)
Leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal comes on to bowl and concedes just two runs in his first over. Sam Curran needs to get a move on.

After 6 overs, CSK are 43/2 (Curran 16, Rayudu 9)
A superb over from Tyagi, just two from it. The young right-arm quick varies his length smartly and keeps things tight.

After 5 overs, CSK are 41/2 (Curran 15, Rayudu 8)
Big over for Chennai! Stokes joins the attack and is taken to the cleaners. First Curran hits a six straight back, before Rayudu picks up two fours.

After 4 overs, CSK are 26/2 – Watson is gone!
OUT! Young Kartik Tyagi gets hit for three fours in his first over but fights back to get the big wicket of Shane Watson. The Aussie veteran flicks it straight to mid-wicket. RR on top in Abu Dhabi!

After 3 overs, CSK are 13/1 – Faf du Plessis is gone!
OUT! Jos Buttler with a fine catch at cover and the in-form Faf du Plessis is gone! Jofra Archer is delivering a sizzling spell first up.

After 2 overs, CSK are 10/0 (Curran 2, Faf 8)
Faf du Plessis gets the first four of the day with a comfortable pull. Eight runs come from Ankit Rajpoot’s first over.

After 1 over, CSK are 2/0 (Curran 1, Faf 1)
Brilliant first over from Jofra Archer. Beats Sam Curran’s outside edge multiple times with wonderful deliveries.

7.29 pm: We’re ready for the first ball in Abu Dhabi! Sam Curran and Faf du Plessis are opening the batting for CSK. Jofra Archer has the new ball in hand for RR. Here we go!

7.09 pm: Playing XIs
RR: Robin Uthappa, Ben Stokes, Sanju Samson (w), Steven Smith (c), Jos Buttler, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Jofra Archer, Shreyas Gopal, Ankit Rajpoot, Kartik Tyagi.
CSK: Faf du Plessis, Sam Curran, Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (w/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Kedar Jadhav, Deepak Chahar, Piyush Chawla, Shardul Thakur, Josh Hazlewood.

7.05 pm: TOSS – Dhoni has won the toss and CSK will bat first! Chennai have two changes: Bravo (out injured for the next few games) and Karn replaced by Hazlewood and Chawla. RR have one change: Rajpoot replaces Unadkat.

6.55 pm: It was Rajasthan Royals who emerged victorious when they met earlier this season. Can Chennai Super Kings turn things around?

6.40 pm: Hello and welcome to live coverage of match No 37 of Indian Premier League 2020. Tonight, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings take on Steve Smith’s Rajasthan Royals in Abu Dhabi.