When Rajasthan Royals Captain Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and elected to field, it looked like he finally had the rub of the green going his way.
The Royals bowlers started off well, sending openers -- Ambati Rayudu (1) and Shane Watson (13) -- and Kedar Jadhav (8) back to the dugout with the score on 27/3 in 5 overs.
It was going as per plan for Rahane until Mahendra Singh Dhoni walked to the crease.
The CSK captain joined hands with Suresh Raina to carve out a 61 run partnership for the 4th wicket as the 2018 champions clawed their way back into the game.
Dhoni and Raina accumulated runs in singles and twos early in the partnership, then accelerated the scoring after the 10th over.
The duo went after the Royals bowling and were particularly severe on Jaydev Unadkat. Although Unadkat got his revenge by taking out Raina in the 15th over, Sanju Samson's dropping Dhoni in the same over proved costly for the Royals.
Making the most of the reprieve, Mahi went on the rampage and remained 75 not out off 46 balls, to take his side to a creditable 175/5 in 20 overs, the target which Royals fell short of by 8 runs eventually.
