Match overview
Rajasthan Royals beat Chennai Super Kings by 32 runs at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on 27 April 2023. Winning the toss, Rajasthan chose to bat and posted 202/5, driven by a blistering powerplay of 64 runs without loss. CSK, chasing 203, never matched that tempo: they managed just 42 runs in their powerplay for the loss of a wicket and finished on 170/6. Yashasvi Jaiswal was named Player of the Match. The result moved Rajasthan Royals to 17 wins in the all-time head-to-head against Chennai, breaking a tie that had stood at 16 apiece across 32 meetings.
Rajasthan's innings divided cleanly into three phases, each productive in its own way. The 64-run powerplay set the foundation; the middle overs produced 75 runs for the loss of three wickets; and the death overs contributed 63 runs at the cost of two. That last phase, in particular, pushed the total from competitive to demanding. CSK's middle overs were their strongest phase, yielding 83 runs from overs seven to fifteen, but the powerplay deficit was too large to overcome. Their death overs added just 45 runs.
Venue and conditions
Sawai Mansingh Stadium has hosted 97 T20 matches and has developed a reputation as a batting venue, though not a flat one. The average first-innings score is 165, and teams chasing have won 64% of matches here. That makes Rajasthan's decision to bat first a counter-intuitive one on the face of it, though the toss-winning side fields in roughly 60% of cases at the ground, making this a deliberate departure from the norm.
The powerplay average at Sawai Mansingh is 46 runs. Rajasthan's 64 without loss was 18 clear of that figure, which goes a long way to explaining why a target that exceeded the average first-innings score by 37 runs was well beyond CSK. The pitch does tend to play well in the first innings under the Jaipur sun, but dew in evening matches can assist batters second up. With Rajasthan electing to bat first, they removed that variable for their own bowlers. The death-overs average at the ground sits at 39 runs; both teams' final-phase returns were above that, confirming conditions were more batter-friendly than usual throughout.
How to watch
IPL matches are broadcast live in the UK on Sky Sports Cricket. Streaming is available through Sky Go for Sky subscribers, or via a NOW TV day or monthly pass for those without a full Sky package. Afternoon matches from India typically begin at 14:30 BST, whilst evening fixtures start at 19:30 BST. For a match of this kind played in 2023, full replays and highlights remain available through the Sky Sports app and the IPL's own streaming partners.
Recent form
Going into this fixture, Rajasthan Royals had won three of their previous five matches in the 2023 IPL season. Their two defeats came against Royal Challengers Bangalore and Lucknow Super Giants, while their three wins included a narrow victory over Chennai Super Kings in an earlier meeting. The back-to-back wins over Gujarat Titans and Delhi Capitals had given them momentum heading into this match.
Chennai Super Kings arrived in Jaipur in strong form. Four wins from their last five games included victories over Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Mumbai Indians. Their only recent defeat had come against Rajasthan themselves, making this, in effect, a rematch. CSK's inability to replicate that batting energy at Sawai Mansingh suggests Rajasthan's home conditions and their powerplay bowling made the difference. The two sides do not meet again in this phase of the 2023 season, with both pushing for playoff positions as May approaches.
