Chennai Super Kings register a thrilling win over Rajasthan Royals in IPL match

Chennai, April 3 (ANI): A blistering 56-ball century by opener Murali Vijay helped the Chennai Super Kings keep their semifinal hopes alive, as they beat Rajasthan Royals by 23 runs in a thrilling Indian Premier League match on Saturday.

It was a match cricket lovers here will never like to forget simply due to an explosive 56-ball 127 by opener Murali Vijay and his 152-run partnership for the third wicket with Albie Morkel. It helped Chennai Super Kings to post a big total of 246 for five in their 20 overs.

After winning the toss and opting to bat first, the Super Kings were on a roll with Vijay, following up on his 78 in the previous game, leading the way with a sublime innings that took the edge out of the Rajasthan Royals' attack.

Lending Vijay a good support was fellow-opener Matthew Hayden who made a rapid 34 (24b, 1 x 6, 5 x 4) before Morkel joined him after Suresh Raina (13) fell cheaply to indulge in big-hitting that saw the Super Kings piling on 91 runs in the first 10 overs and a further 155 in the next 10.

The hosts later restricted Rajasthan to 223 for five, as opener Naman Ojha's unbeaten 55-ball 94 and Shane Watson's 60 off 25 balls went in vain.

The Teams:

Chennai Super Kings: M S Dhoni (c), Matthew Hayden, M Vijay, Suresh Raina, S Badrinath, S Anirudha, Albie Morkel, Muttiah Muralitharan, S Jakati, Doug Bollinger, Manpreet Gony

Rajasthan Royals: Shane Warne (c), Naman Ojha, AS Raut, S Narwal, S Wagh, A Jhunjhunwala, Yusuf Pathan, F Fazal, Shane Watson, M Lumb, Shaun Tait. (ANI)