IPL Results 2018: Rajasthan vs. Chennai Score, Latest Points Table, Fixture Info

Jos Buttler scored a match-deciding 95 as Rajasthan Royals rallied to beat Chennai Super Kings on Friday to collect their fifth win of the 2018 Indian Premier League season and move closer to clinching a play-off spot.

Chennai were composed in mounting a decent 176 total and saw all five of their batsmen who faced more than one ball score in the double digits, but little could prepare them for a belter of a Buttler blockbuster.

Rajasthan remain sixth but are again level on points with Mumbai Indians in fifth and Kolkata Knight Riders in sixth with three games remaining on their regular-season schedule.

The Super Kings remain four points off the leaders, Sunrisers Hyderabad, following their defeat at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, having failed to make the most of their game in hand.

Read on for a recap of Friday's sole IPL fixture, complete with the updated table standings and a look toward this weekend's fixtures.

IPL Standings (Points, Net Run Rate)

1. Sunrisers Hyderabad: 18, +0.473 (Q)

2. Chennai Super Kings: 14, +0.370

3. Kings XI Punjab: 12, +0.097

4. Mumbai Indians: 10, +0.529

5. Kolkata Knight Riders: 10, -0.359

6. Rajasthan Royals: 10, -0.484

7. Royal Challengers Bangalore: 6, -0.361

8. Delhi Daredevils: 6, -0.447

Visit the IPL T20 website for a look at the table in full.

Upcoming Fixtures

Saturday, May 12

Kings XI Punjab (H) vs. Kolkata Knight Riders (A), 11:30 a.m. BST/6:30 a.m. ET

Delhi Daredevils (H) vs. Royal Challengers Bangalore (A), 3:30 p.m. BST/10:30 a.m. ET

Sunday, May 13

Chennai Super Kings (H) vs. Sunrisers Hyderabad (A), 11:30 a.m. BST/6:30 a.m. ET

Mumbai Indians (H) vs. Rajasthan Royals (A), 3:30 p.m. BST/10:30 a.m. ET

Rajasthan Royals (177/6) beat Chennai Super Kings (176/4) by four wickets

Although no Twenty20 result can ever be attributed to one person alone, Buttler came close to doing just that with a surge to 95 as he helped cut more than half of Chennai's 176 score single-handedly in Jaipur.

He and Ben Stokes hit 48 off the opening 24 balls they faced, but it wasn't until the Royals capitalised upon Buttler in particular that they got results, and he finished with a superbly efficient tally, per ESPNCricinfo:

David Willey, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo and Harbhajan Singh all stepped up to attempt removing the Englishman, and Buttler was humble in his post-match comments, praising those opponents, per ESPNCricinfo:

"Definitely, especially in the IPL (your finest T20 innings?) I have hit my straps and it's always special when you're not out. As we've seen, the wicket plays very well in the first six overs. Bravo is one of the best in the world, but you feel it's two hits. You just try to hold yourself, and my family is here, and it's special to perform when my mum, wife, aunt, and uncle are here."

Even Chennai's official Twitter account couldn't help but applaud Buttler after he hit a two off the penultimate ball to save Rajasthan's skin:

The highest score any of his Royals batsmen managed was 22, symbolic of the form Buttler was enjoying compared to his team-mates, only two of whom faced eight balls or more.

Statistician Deepu Narayanan praised Buttler for entering an exclusive club of half-century streaks, and he can etch his name further in the IPL annals with a 50 against Mumbai Indians on Sunday:

Chennai by all means looked good for the win after Shane Watson, Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni aided in constructing their 176, where Jofra Archer was responsible for two of the three wickets they had bowled.

It was a particularly bright day for Raina in that regard, as Bharath Seervi of ESPNCricinfo pointed to his sustained batting class in the IPL:

Five different Super Kings bowlers managed to take a wicket in the next innings, but Buttler's outing was one of those rare cases where the unstoppable force manoeuvred around the immovable object.

Rajasthan's play-off hopes have had a new lease on life because of Friday's result, while Chennai's target to top the standings looks to be escaping their reach.