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IPL 2025: Madhwal leads bowlers’ show as Rajasthan Royals end the season by beating Chennai Super Kings
Despite losing eight matches chasing out of nine, Rajasthan Royals (RR) decided to chase one last time and came out victors with 17 balls to spare. Unlike earlier games, though, their bowlers did well against fellow laggards Chennai Super Kings (CSK), leaving them just 188 to chase on a good batting pitch.Akash Madhwal reversed the ball to restrict CSK in the end to just 17 runs off the last three overs, and Vaibhav Suryavanshi then aced the chase with a measured 57 off 33 deliveries.
Ravichandran Ashwin took two wickets in the 14th over to remind observers of RR’s poor chasing record, but it proved to be nothing more than a stutter. Dhruv Jurel made sure it never got close with a sparkling 31 from 12 balls. The unbeaten batters at the wicket were Jurel and Shimron Hetmyer who have been in the middle in some of the past fluffed chases.
As a result of the win, RR were momentarily off the bottom of the table, but their season was done. CSK were left needing a big win in their last match to avoid finishing at the bottom for the first time in their history.
The start of the game was action-packed, but not easily explained. CSK lost five wickets in 7.4 overs to length balls that didn’t swing or seam. They were not off-pace deliveries either. Of these, one was not even an attacking shot. It was just one of those days when the risks were not coming off, and Yudhvir Singh ended with a haul of three wickets.
For a while in between, the risks did come off for a 56-run stand between Ayush Mhatre and the new No. 4 Ravichandran Ashwin. Mhatre scored 43 off 20 balls, mostly just clearing the infield for eight fours and one six. This meant CSK were going at over 10 runs an over even though they lost five early wickets.
The second half of CSK’s season has been all about identifying a core for the next IPL. Two triumphs in that regard have been their replacement batters, Mhatre and Dewald Brevis. Both shone in Delhi. Brevis scored 42 off 25 deliveries as he and Shivam Dube added 59 runs for the sixth wicket.
In three of their five tight losses, RR have had to contend with the reversing ball. This time, though, they got the ball reversing themselves. Madhwal, who started bowling as late as the 12th over and went for ten runs in his first two balls, quickly realised that the ball was ready for reverse swing, and started going for the yorker.
In his four overs, Madhwal nailed at least eight of them to go with plenty of low full tosses that were difficult to get away. The one that got Brevis off the inside edge was a half volley, but it did tail away, thus causing the mis-hit.
Dube, meanwhile, took care of the spin threat that was reserved for MS Dhoni, thus maintaining the run rate of 10 till the 17th over. But Madhwal and Tushar Deshpande were excellent in the last three overs. For once the RR batters were not going to have to chase an above-par total.
The target this time was exactly what RR scored to tie the game against Delhi Capitals at the same venue, but this was a better batting pitch. For the 13th time in the IPL, Yashasvi Jaiswal hit the first legal delivery of the innings for a boundary – a record. This one, though, came off the glove in an over that he hardly middled the ball. By the time he started his second over, though, Khaleel Ahmed had lost the movement, and Jaiswal raced away to 36 off 19 balls.
This time, Suryavanshi and Sanju Samson had the opportunity too get a sighter or two thanks to their bowlers and the quick start provided by Jaiswal. It didn’t take Suryavanshi long, though. He hit six, four and four in Noor Ahmad’s first over, and took sixes in Ravindra Jadeja’s first.
The one spinner that Suryavanshi couldn’t hit was negotiated by Samson. He hit a six in each of former team-mate Ashwin’s overs to make sure RR stayed ahead of the asking rate.
By the time Ashwin gave CSK a glimmer of hope, getting the better of former captain Samson and Suryavanshi in the 14th over, the ask had already come down to 50 runs. Suryavanshi had again dazzled the observers, this time with his measured approach to go with his hitting prowess.
Jurel, though, didn’t let CSK consolidate their gains. He hit Jadeja for a six and a four, Noor for a four, and then Ashwin for a six. In perfect symmetry, it was an 18-run Ashwin over that ended CSK’s brief comeback.
Brief scores:
Rajasthan Royals 188 for 4 in 17.1 overs (Vaibhav Suryavanshi 57, Sanju Samson 41, Yashasvi Jaiswal 36, Dhruv Jurel 31*, Shimron Hetmyer 12*; Anshul Kamboj 1-21, Raviichandran Ashwin 2-41, Noor Ahmad 1-42) beat Chennai Super Kings 187 for 8 in 20 overs (Ayush Mhatre 43, Devon Conway 10, Ravichandran Ashwin 13, Dewald Brevis 42, Shivam Dube 39, MS Dhoni 16; Tushar Dushpande 1-33, Akash Madhwal 3-29, Yudhvir Singh 3-47, Wanidu Hasaranga 1-37) by six wickets
[Cricinfo]
Ali Khan the USA fast bowler of Pakistan origin, has claimed in a caption to a story on Instagram that he has been “denied” an Indian visa. USA are scheduled to play India in Mumbai on February 7, the opening day of the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Khan, who is currently in Colombo for a USA training camp, posted on Tuesday without giving any further details. ESPNcricinfo has approached the USA team manager for comment.
USA are yet to announce their squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup but it is expected the final 15 will be chosen from the 18 that are at the camp in Sri Lanka. It is understood that the squad will be picked by the USA coaching group, while the team administration and logistics are being overseen by the ICC, which took charge following the suspension of USA Cricket late last year.
Khan, 35, is one of three USA players of Pakistan origin currently at the camp in Colombo; Ehsan Adil – who has played three Tests for Pakistan – and Mohammad Mohsin are the other two. The ICC has made no official comment on the situation but is understood to be trying to facilitate the matter and is confident it will be resolved.
A number of associate teams in the tournament – Oman, UAE and Italy – will be looking on with interest, given their squads are likely to include a number of players of Pakistan origin, or with Pakistani nationality.
ESPNcricinfo understands that England’s two squad members of Pakistan heritage, Adil Rashid and Rehan Ahmed, are both still awaiting their visas. While the matter is expected to be resolved in time for the tournament, their situation is complicated by the need to apply in-person. Rehan is currently in Australia at the BBL, while Rashid is in Dubai.
Last September, the ICC had informed all participating teams that securing visas to India and Sri Lanka, the co-hosts of the T20 World Cup, would be the responsibility of the respective boards but it would facilitate paperwork if needed. In the case of USA, with the suspension of USAC, that responsibility would lie with the ICC.
Worsening diplomatic and political ties between India and Pakistan have made visas an complicated issue in recent years, even for players who are nationals of other countries. England’s Shoaib Bashir and Saqib Mahmood had faced delays in obtaining visas but were granted them eventually, as was the case with Australia’s Usman Khawaja. The visas for the Pakistan team were also delayed ahead of their travel to India for the 2023 ODI World Cup.
USA, who got a direct entry for the 2026 T20 World Cup after making the Super Eights stage in the 2024 tournament, are scheduled to play three of their four group A matches in India. Their first match is against defending champions India on the opening day (February 7) of the T20 World Cup in Mumbai, followed by Pakistan in Colombo (February 10) and then two matches in Chennai – against Netherlands (February 13) and Namibia (February 15).
[Cricinfo]
At least 28 people have been killed after a construction crane fell on top of a moving train carriage at around 09:00 local time (02:00 GMT)
According to official records, the train, which was carrying at least 195 people, had set off from Bangkok and was headed to Ubon Ratchathani province. After it had departed from Nong Nam Khun station in Nakhon Ratchasima province was about to reach the next station, it was struck by a falling construction crane.
The crane had been working on a high-speed rail project linking Thailand and China.
The impact caused one train carriage to derail and another to catch fire.
The disaster left at least 80 people injured, the youngest just one year old One survivor, a train staff member, recalled how he and the other passengers were thrown into the air after the crane fell on the vehicle
The governor of the State Railway of Thailand has been ordered to “thoroughly and comprehensively” investigate the cause of the accident
[BBC]
United States President Donald Trump says he has cancelled all meetings with Iranian officials and has told protesters to “take over your institutions” amid Tehran’s crackdown.
In a social media post on Tuesday, Trump said that “help is on the way” without offering further details. Trump has openly contemplated ordering military attacks on Iran over the last several days.
“Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING – TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!! Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price,” Trump said on his website, Truth Social. “I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY. MIGA!!! [MAGA]”
Trump has threatened Iran with military strikes in the past as a means of pressuring Tehran into greater alignment with US demands, and has said during the last week that a harsh response by Iranian authorities to the country’s protesters could result in US attacks.
The US president announced on Monday that any country doing business with Iran would be subject to a 25 percent tariff. On Tuesday, the State Department issued an alert saying US citizens should “leave Iran now” amid the rising tensions.
[Aljazeera]
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