Vaibhav Suryavanshi stars as Rajasthan Royals end IPL 2025 with win

Teen sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi delivered yet another mature knock, scoring 57 off 33 balls, while Yudhvir Singh Charak picked up three wickets to help Rajasthan Royals (RR) secure a six-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, finishing their IPL 2025 campaign on a positive note.

Opting to bowl first after winning the toss, RR restricted the designated home team CSK to a below-par total of 187/8, despite solid contributions from Dewald Brevis and youngster Ayush Mhatre. 

In reply, Yashasvi Jaiswal gave RR a flying start, hammering 19 runs off Khaleel Ahmed with three boundaries and a six in just the third over.

Jaiswal looked dangerous but perished trying to force the pace against Anshul Kamboj, dragging an inside edge onto his stumps. 

With Sanju Samson joining Suryavanshi at the crease and early boundaries hard to come by, MS Dhoni experimented with a few unconventional field placements. However, RR closed out the powerplay strongly at 56/1.

Samson smacked Ravichandran Ashwin for a towering six, but the RR skipper's most significant contributions came during his constant guidance to the 14-year-old Suryavanshi, who once again showed poise beyond his years.

Suryavanshi adapted smartly, holding back and picking the right moments to attack.

When presented with an opportunity in the eighth over, he punished Noor Ahmed for 14 runs off three poorly executed deliveries. His assault continued in the 11th over, launching Ravindra Jadeja for a massive six down the ground.

Jadeja attempted to unsettle the teenager with quicker deliveries and tighter angles, but Suryavanshi stepped out with confidence and dispatched him over the sightscreen again.

He brought up his half-century off just 27 balls, reaching the milestone with his fourth six—a powerful pull off a free-hit from Noor. His innings ended on 57 when he mistimed a leg-side slog, edging to point on the final ball of the 14th over.

Earlier in the same over, Ashwin had dismissed Samson with a well-executed short, slow delivery after an insightful chat with Dhoni. 

Despite losing two set batters, Dhruv Jurel kept RR in control, attacking both Jadeja and Ashwin, who struggled to contain the flow of runs. Even as Noor bowled Riyan Parag with a beauty, Jurel ensured the chase remained on track.

Fittingly, Jurel sealed the victory in style, smashing a massive six over deep square leg off Matheesha Pathirana on the first ball of the 18th over.

In the first innings, Yudhvir Singh made an early impact by dismissing Devon Conway and Urvil Patel in the same over, exploiting the uneven bounce of the Delhi pitch. 

However, his next over was expensive, as Ayush Mhatre and Ashwin counterattacked with 24 runs. Mhatre, just 17, continued his impressive display, hammering Tushar Deshpande for three consecutive boundaries before falling to a slower ball, caught at long-on.

CSK then lost both Ashwin and Jadeja in quick succession, each falling to mistimed flicks against Wanindu Hasaranga and Charak respectively. Despite the wickets, CSK maintained a run rate above nine, thanks to Mhatre’s earlier acceleration.

Dewald Brevis, coming in as an injury replacement, built on the platform laid by Mhatre. Alongside Shivam Dube, he stitched together a quick 50-run partnership before Brevis was undone by a pinpoint yorker from Akash Madhwal in the 14th over.

A wave of excitement swept the stadium when MS Dhoni walked in. Every move from the CSK icon—be it a single, a boundary, or a helmet removal—was met with raucous cheers from the sea of yellow-clad fans.

The Dube-Dhoni partnership added some late momentum, with Dube finding boundaries against spin and Dhoni dispatching Parag for a six. However, Rajasthan’s pacers shut things down in the death overs. 

The 18th and 19th overs yielded just 10 runs combined. Dube was dismissed on the first ball of the final over, and Dhoni fell on the fifth, leaving CSK with only 41 runs from the last five overs to finish at 187/8.