Rajasthan’s big win keep them afloat, Chennai face ouster (Ld)

Abu Dhabi, Oct 19 (IANS/GloFans) Former champions Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Monday registered a convincing seven-wicket win over three-time winners Chennai Super Kings (CSK), a result that lifted them from the bottom of the table and kept them afloat in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
While the verdict catapulted RR to the fifth spot on the points table – thanks to Jos Buttler’s 48-ball 70 not out and fast bowler Jofra Archer’s miserly spell — the defeat pushed the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led CSK to the brink of elimination.
Chasing CSK’s 125 for five wickets in 20 overs, RR finished at 126 for three wickets in 17.3 overs.
Before the game started on Monday, RR were lying at the bottom of the eight-team points table with a net run rate (NRR) of -0.778. After they won with 2.3 overs to spare, thanks to Jos Buttler’s 48-ball 70 not out, they climbed to the fifth spot with eight points from 10 matches. Steve Smith’s team now has a NRR of -0.591, and is back in the race to qualify for the playoffs.
The top four teams on the points table qualify for the playoffs after each team has played 14 matches each in the league phase.
CSK have looked under the weather this season and the defeat at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium has pushed them to the bottom of the points table, with a NRR of -0.463. Although SunRisers Hyderabad (+0.008) and Kings XI Punjab (-0.262) also have six points each, they have better NRR than CSK.