All-rounder Moeen Ali starred with the bat for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their last league match of the IPL 2022 against Rajasthan Royals (RR) at Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai on Friday (May 20).
Opting to bat first, the defending champions lost Ruturaj Gaikwad (2) cheaply, leading to Moeen’s arrival at the crease. The southpaw took on the RR bowlers from the outset, hitting boundaries at will to help CSK pile up 75 runs in the powerplay.
In the process, Moeen completed his half-century off 19 balls and added 83 runs for the second wicket with Devon Conway, who fell for 14-ball 16 in the 8th over. CSK then lost N Jagadeesan (1) and Ambati Rayudu (3) in quick succession to slip to 95/4.
Afterwards, skipper MS Dhoni came in the middle to partner Moeen Ali. Given that CSK had no specialist batter left for the rest of the innings, the duo opted for a cautious approach. They relied mostly on singles and doubles in their partnership of 51 runs.
While Dhoni got out in the penultimate over for 28-ball 26, Moeen was dismissed in the final over for 93 off 57 balls, which included 13 fours and 3 sixes. Thanks to his knock, CSK managed to post a fighting 150/6 on the board in their stipulated 20 overs.
For his stunning display with the bat, Moeen Ali received rich praise from the cricket fraternity on Twitter.
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