Moeen Ali starred with bat and ball as Chennai Super Kings crushed Rajasthan Royals by 45 runs in Mumbai on Monday.
The England all-rounder first added impetus to the innings by scoring 26 from 20 balls which helped Chennai post a competitive 188-9. Faf du Plessis (33) was the top scorer for Chennai against a disciplined Rajasthan attack.
Left-arm seamer Chetan Sakariya was among the wickets once again for Rajasthan, picking up 3-36.
Rajasthan would have fancied their chances, especially with Jos Buttler making 49 from 35 balls. But a classic left-arm spinner's dismissal from Jadeja – the ball pitching on leg and hitting middle stump – set the tone for the second innings where spinners dominated on a helpful Wankhede surface.
Moeen accounted for dangerous South Africa hitters David Miller and Chris Morris in his match-winning spell of 3-7 from three overs to derail Royals' innings.
Rajasthan could only reach 143-9 to lose by 45 runs, which is sure to affect their net run rate adversely.
After the game, Moeen reflected on the freedom that comes with batting at No3.
"My job is to score as many runs here. It's just the way I play. I don't try and overhit the ball. It wasn't an easy wicket. It was quite difficult initially," Moeen said.
The off-spinner said the pitch suited his style of bowling.
"It was a fantastic time for me to come on to bowl, there were two left-handers. Once the left-hander came in, I thought I'd be bowling. I'm always ready. The ball changed and that was a bit drier, that helped. I think it was a good wicket to bowl for both teams."
Chennai captain MS Dhoni said he is glad to have a player like Moeen in his line-up.
"It was good to have Moeen, it was turning a bit. The wicket became a bit more sticky. I am glad we scored 180, though we could have got more," Dhoni said.
Rajasthan captain Sanju Samson felt his team was on track at 87-2 but lost their way towards the end, as has become the norm for many teams this season.
"I think it was a good score to chase down, but we lost too many wickets in the middle. I think our bowlers bowled really well but they batted very deep. Maybe 10-15 runs extra conceded in the end," Samson said.
The wicketkeeper was surprised by the amount of turn available to the spinners.
"We never expected that [spin]. The dew didn't come, the ball was turning and that was a bit shocking to see. We've lost but definitely there are positives - Sakariya has been doing really well."
