CSK end home league stage campaign with win over RR, take victory lap to thank "Superfans"

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], May 12 (ANI): Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ended their home league stage leg of the Indian Premier League (IPL) with a victory lap following a five-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals on Sunday.
CSK brought an end to a highly successful home leg, winning five out of their seven matches at the Chepauk Stadium. A fantastic spell from Simarjeet Singh and a fighting knock by Ruturaj Gaikwad were the highlights as the Yellow Army chased down 142 runs set by the Men in Pink.
After the game, CSK players, including former skipper MS Dhoni, took a victory lap all around the stadium, thanking the fans for their support, with a banner saying "Nothing Like our Superfans". They were honoured with medals by the management. Also, they tossed some tennis balls into the ground during the victory lap, giving some fans a souvenir to remember.
The official Instagram handle of the league posted a video of the victory lap.
"@chennaiipl's home campaign concluded with a win They take a lap of honour at The Chepauk and celebrate with the #CSK fans #TATAIPL | #CSKvRR," tweeted the IPL handle.

 

 

 

 

 

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Coming to the match, Rajasthan Royals won the toss and opted to bat first. On a tough surface, RR could not do much with the bat. After a 43-run partnership between Yashasvi Jaiswal (24 in 21 balls, with three fours and a six) and Jos Buttler (21 in 25 balls, with two fours), it was knocks from Riyan Parag (47* in 35 balls, with a four and three sixes) and Dhruv Jurel (28 in 18 balls, with a four and two sixes) who took RR to a respectable total of 141/5 in their 20 overs.
Simarjeet Singh (3/26) and Tushar Deshpande (2/30) were among the wickets for CSK.
In the run-chase of 142 runs, CSK did lose wickets at regular intervals. However, knocks from skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad (42* in 41 balls, with a four and two sixes), Rachin Ravindra (27 in 18 balls, with a four and two sixes) and Daryl Mitchell (22 in 13 balls, with four boundaries) were more than enough to take CSK to a five-wicket win with 10 balls left.
Ravichandran Ashwin was the pick of the bowlers for RR.
For his fantastic spell, Simarjeet took home the 'Player of the Match' award.
With this win, CSK is in the third spot with seven wins and six losses, giving them 14 points. RR is at second spot, with eight wins and four losses, giving them 18 points. (ANI)