Rajasthan Royals won their first IPL 2025 championship with a dramatic 6-run victory against Chennai Super Kings. RR, after opting to bat following CSK’s decision, had reached 182 for 9 in 20 overs. Match savior of RR proved to be Nitish Rana by hitting 81 out of 36 balls inclusive of 10 fours and 5 sixes. But CSK bowlers, headed by Noor Ahmad (2/28) and Matheesha Pathirana (2/28), fought hard in the later overs to stop RR from thrashing. CSK returned with 176 for 6. Ruturaj Gaikwad played a 63 with so much passion, and Ravindra Jadeja remained stuck at 32, but even that turned out to be useless.
Turning point was at the last over when Sandeep Sharma dismissed MS Dhoni (16 off 11) on a full toss, low, and took it well by Shimron Hetmyer at cow corner. Sharma showed fine depth and fetched 20 runs from the last over and secured the game for RR. It was RR’s return, who lost their first two matches of the season, as CSK also lost their second consecutive game after they lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The match set RR’s consistency and CSK’s failure to chase over 180 scores, which has not been their fate since 2019. RR dropped to ninth in IPL 2025 points, and CSK dropped to seventh.
CSK skipper Gaikwad then also added that the Powerplay runs leaked, and especially to Nitish Rana, put pressure on them, and it may have been possible to escape that if they had gone for it from the beginning. For RR, though, their bowling attack, spearheaded by Jofra Archer’s season’s first over and Wanindu Hasaranga’s match-winning wickets, was the one which took the match-winning onus in the edge-of-the-seat climax.
This result has sparked discussions about CSK’s middle-order vulnerabilities and RR’s potential to build momentum after a shaky start to their campaign. Fans on X have been buzzing about the game, with many praising Rana’s knock and the dramatic final over. If you’d like more specific details or analysis, feel free to ask!
