IPL 2018, RR vs CSK: 5 talking points from the match between Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Superkings

Jos Buttler continued his terrific run of form, bringing up his fourth consecutive half-century of the tournament as the Rajasthan Royals beat the much-fancied Chennai Super Kings in match 43 of IPl 2018 tonight at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur tonight.

The England wicketkeeper-batsman led from start to finish as the hosts won the contest by four wickets to move to 10 points in the 2018 IPL points table, thereby keeping alive their chances of progressing to the playoff stage of the tournament.

While Suresh Raina's 35-ball 52 powered CSK to a decent total of 176, it was overturned by the Royals who had Buttler to thank for yet another brilliant knock.

Here are the five major talking points from today's contest.

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#5 Indifferent bowling from CSK costs them the game

As much as Buttler deserves praise for the manner in which he smashed his way to his fourth consecutive fifty this season, the CSK bowlers simply weren't good enough.

Though they pulled things back during the middle overs, the kind of start that Royals had left them in a very comfortable position towards the end.

The way Buttler started off it was clear that the total of 176 scored by CSK didn't look a tough total to chase anymore and despite the loss of two wickets in quick succession, Buttler and Sanju Samson maneuvered the innings superbly taking minimum risks as they set about chasing down the target.

They pulled things back towards the middle overs though as they tightened the screw on the run-rate with Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur both conceding less than 30 runs each off their four overs.

However, right when CSK were looking like they might have completed the turnaround, the final two overs saw the match slip away from their grips with Buttler and Krishnappa Gowtham helping earn Royals a truly remarkable win.

Dwayne Bravo, who for long has been CSK's go-to bowler in the death overs imply hasn't done justice to the tag this season.

#4 Suresh Raina at his free-flowing best

Suresh Raina has been one of the greatest batsmen in IPL history and while he may be far from his best in terms of consistency of scoring, the Indian cricketer gave a throwback to his pleasing style of yesteryears with a terrific half-century against the Royals tonight.

The signs were evident right away when he dismissed Jofra Archer for consecutive boundaries off the first two balls he faced and he continued the aggressive approach throughout his stay at the crease.

There was a small period of play of nearly three overs when Raina and his partner at the other end Shane Watson failed to get a boundary for more than 20 balls, but the pair got back to their ways with Raina once again taking the lead in their partnership.

Raina was undone by a terrific googly from Ish Sodhi but not before he had brought up yet another half-century in the IPL.

#3 CSK loses steam in the death overs

Raina and Shane Watson's 86-run stand for the second wicket not just helped the side recover from the early loss of an in-form Ambati Rayudu, but it also put MS Dhoni's men in a position of strength even the two settled batsmen were back in the pavilion.

CSK were at 119/3 in 13 overs when Raina fell to Ish Sodhi and with the skipper joined in the middle by the hard-hitting Sam Billings, the yellow army would have been dreaming a total close to the 200-run mark.

However, the CSK duo failed to get going and laboured their way to a 55-run partnership that took as many as 40 balls and considering that they were in the death overs, it was simply not good enough.

Dhoni has been absolutely wonderful throughout this campaign but those trademark big shots simply didn't appear tonight and those few runs CSK missed out on cost them the match eventually.

#2 Krishnappa Gowtham's cameo

Gowtham has been having an eventful 2018 IPL with both bat and ball as the 29-year-old played yet another crucial role in his side's victory tonight.

Gowtham has earned a reputation as a good bowler in the powerplay overs as the tag of the maximum wicket-taker in the powerplay overs suggest, but it has been his exploits with the bat that has generated more headlines.

He turned match-winner against Mumbai Indians earlier in the tournament with an unbelievable knock of 33 runs from 11 balls and tonight, he struck two huge sixes in a four-ball stay at the crease that proved to be the difference between the two sides.

Buttler no doubt deserved the Man-of-the-Match award but Gowtham's crucial cameo in this win cannot be underestimated.

#1 Buttler's match-winning knock

Buttler has been in a rich vein of form since being promoted as an opener in the Royals side having scored three consecutive half-centuries heading into the match against CSK.

Set with a target of 177, it was imperative for the Royals that their in-form player give them a good start and Buttler delivered with an explosive start to his innings.

It was fellow countryman David Willey who initially felt the brunt of Buttler's brute hitting power as his first three balls were dispatched to the boundary while Harbhajan Singh met with a similar fate in the very next over as the Royals total read 27 after two overs with Buttler scoring all of the runs.

The dismissals of Ben Stokes and skipper Ajinkya Rahane did cause a minor stutter to the Royals scoring, but Buttler alongside Sanju Samson carried forward the momentum despite not relying heavily on risk-prone shots.

Samson's dismissal did make the going extremely tough for Buttler but the Englishman was batting high on confidence and as long as he remained at the crease, it was evident that Royals could pull off the win and so it proved as Buttler remained unbeaten on 95 off 60 balls as they won the match by four wickets and one ball to spare.

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