Rajasthan Royals defeated Chennai Super Kings by 5 wickets on Friday to secure their play-off berth in the 15th season of the Indian Premier League. 

After opting to bat first, MS Dhoni-led CSK scored 150 for 6 in 20 overs, with Moeen Ali top-scoring for the side with a 93 off 57 balls. Dhoni too chipped in with 26.

Obed McCoy and Yuzvendra Chahal took two wickets apiece for RR while Trent Boult and Ravichandran Ashwin got one each.

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In reply, Rajasthan chased down the target with two balls to spare, with Yashasvi Jaiswal top-scoring with 59 and Ravichandran Ashwin chipping in with 40 not out.

For CSK, Prashant Solanki took two wickets for 20 runs. 

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“I think what we need to understand is that we were playing a batter light. So when we lost those wickets, Moeen had to curb himself a bit. Role and responsibility got swapped a bit when the wickets fell. If we had lost another wicket at that point, we wouldn’t have even got anything to defend. I’d say 10-15 runs short although the start is always crucial. If you don’t start well, even 180 may not be enough. Overall, I’d say 15 runs short,” MS Dhoni said after losing the match. 

By the time the first over of their innings came to an end, RR had qualified for the play-offs on net run rate, leaving Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals to fight for the fourth spot.

Brief Scores: Chennai Super Kings: 150 for 6 in 20 overs (Moeen Ali 93, MS Dhoni 26; Obed McCoy 2/20, Yuzvendra Chahal 2/26).

Rajasthan Royals: 151 for 5 in 19.4 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 59, Ravichandran Ashwin 40 not out; Prashant Solanki 2/20).