Rajasthan Royals opened their account in IPL 2025 with a hard fought win over Chennai Super Kings on Sunday, March 30, 2025.
After two back-to-back defeats, RR put up an all-round show to subdue the five-time champions on a spin-friendly Barsapara pitch in Guwahati.
After Nitish Rana guided them to a decent 182/9 with an explosive display of power-hitting, RR bowlers came up with an impressive show to dismantle the CSK batting.
Wanindu Hasaranga, who grabbed four prized wickets, was the pick of the bowlers for them. Jofra Archer, who set an unwanted IPL record by conceding 76 runs in his four-over spell against Sunrisers Hyderabad, came back brilliantly, giving away just 13 runs in three overs while picking the key wicket of CSK Opener Rachin Ravindra. Also, he made it a special night by bowling the first maiden of IPL 2025.
For CSK, Noor Ahmad and Matheesha Pathirana returned identical figures of 2/28 in four overs.
Take a look at the top performers with the ball:
Hasaranga Rips Apart CSK
Introduced into the attack in the eighth over, Hasaranga struck with his first ball of the spell, getting Rahul Tripathi out with a short delivery which skidded a bit. Tripathi, who was promoted up the order, rocked back to pull but ended up holing out to deep mid-wicket where Hetmyer dived forward to complete the catch.
In his second over, the Sri Lankan scalped the dangerous Shivam Dube. He fired a full delivery outside off, and Dube tried to drill it to the right of extra cover where Riyan Parag took a stunner. That dismissal opened a door for Royals and they did not look back.
In his third over, Hasaranga bamboozled Vijay Shankar with a crafty googly. The ball sneaked between bat and pad and knocked down the stumps.
In the fifth ball of his final over, Hasaranga got rid of CSK Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad. A fuller delivery at the stumps, Gaikwad cleared the front leg and went for a big swipe across the line, but could not middle it and the ball went up in the air as Yashasvi Jaiswal rushed from long on to complete a neat catch. He finished the match with brilliant figures of 4-35.
Archer's Stunning Comeback
Archer had come under severe criticism for a below-par showing after he conceded 33 runs in 3.2 overs against the Kolkata Knight Riders and 76 runs in four overs against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Against CSK, the English pacer, who turns 30 on April 1, came up with a brutal reply for his doubters who questioned his place in the playing XI.
Opening the attack, he got Rachin Ravindra's prized wicket with his fifth ball. After swinging and missing the first two deliveries, Rachin swung hard at the third ball, only to get a healthy outside edge. 'Keeper Dhruv Jurel pouched it as Archer got his first wicket of IPL 2025. He celebrated wildly, joy, relief and even disbelief all rolled into one.
In the next two overs, he kept it tight, giving away only 13 runs.
Noor Ahmad Weaves His Magic, Again
The left-arm wrist spinner was expected to thrive in spin-friendly conditions in Guwahati, and he did not disappoint. The current purple cap holder struck right away, sending back Sanju Samson with his third ball of the night.
He sent in a full delivery just outside off, and Samson cleared his front-leg to hoist it over long-off, but could not quite get the elevation and ended up holing out to Rachin Ravindra.
In his third over, he accounted for Dhruv Jurel, who attempted a lofted drive over cover off an overpitched delivery only to offer a tough catch to Matheesha Pathirana. Although Riyan Parag hit him for a six and a boundary in his fourth over, he ended the match with impressive figures of 2-28.
Pathirana Keeps It Tight
Matheesha Pathirana was brought into the attack only in the 11th over and he started off with a wide before Parag hit him for a maximum. However, he bounced back, conceding just four more in his first over. He almost got Shimron Hemyer in his second over, but Jamie Overton spilled a tough chance at long on.
In his third over, he dismissed Parag with a peach of a delivery. He banged in a perfect yorker that hit the base of off stump to send the RR skipper back to the dugout. A key wicket under the circumstances.
He returned to dismiss Hetmyer in his final over, again with a yorker wide off stump. The West Indian tried to loft, but holed out to Ashwin in the cover region. He nailed his yorkers effectively to torment the CSK batters and returned excellent figures of 2-28 in four overs.
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