IPL 2022: Ravi Ashwin's focus on batting in pre-season training is now paying dividends, believes Sanju Samson

IPL 2022: Rajasthan Royals qualified into the top two positions in the playoffs after defeating Chennai Super Kings in the Brabourne Stadium on Friday, 20 May.

Rajasthan Royals stormed into the top two positions in the Indian Premier League after a five-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings in the Brabourne Stadium on Friday, 20 May.

Royals pulled back after a horrific start in the early stages of the game, when Chennai Super Kings' Moeen Ali smashed them out of the park to score a 19-ball fifty inside the powerplay.

The England batter put Royals' bowlers to the sword and looked in great touch early in the innings. However, Royals' stuck to their plans and pulled back the game once the powerplay overs were done.

After conceding 75 runs during the fielding restrictions, RR came back strongly in the middle overs and conceded just 75 runs in the rest of the game. Despite MOeen Ali's 57-ball 93, CSK were only able to put up 150 runs for the loss of six wickets.

Coming into bat, RR managed to chase the score down with two balls remaining, owing to the brilliance of Ravichandran Ashwin - the batter. The Tamil Nadu-born Ashwin scored 40 off 23 balls to take RR home.

Speaking after the game, Rajasthan captain Sanju Samson said that Ashwin's focus on batting in the pre-season is paying dividends.

"Ashwin has done a great job and has turned out to be a great all-rounder for us. He batted a lot in the nets before the season," Samson said.