PBKS vs RR, IPL 2023: RR hanging by a thread after clinical win over Kings

66th Match, IPL: Rajasthan Royals 189 for 6 (Padikkal 51, Jaiswal 50, Hetmyer 46, Rabada 2-40) beat Punjab Kings 187 for 5 (Curran 49*, Jitesh 44, Saini 3-40) by four wickets

In the end, things got a little tense, but Rajasthan Royals came out on top in Dharamsala, defeating Punjab Kings by four wickets and keeping their outside playoff chance alive.

The Royals’ victory was facilitated by their left-handed batting trio of Yashasvi Jaiswal (51 runs), Devdutt Padikkal (50 runs), and Shimron Hetmyer (44 runs). Dhruv Jurel struck a six off the fourth ball of the 20th over to secure the victory.

With Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson failing, Jaiswal and Padikkal helped the Royals get out of a sticky situation, and Hetmyer made sure that the run rate didn’t get out of hand at the back end.

Rulers had a practical opportunity of triumph after Jitesh Sharma, Sam Curran and Shahrukh Khan conquered a top-request batting breakdown to take them to 187. Even though they knew that would not happen midway through the chase, they fought until the very end to make Royals squirm. They came into the game needing a massive win to boost their net run rate.

The Royals are now focused on Sunday’s action. They need Mumbai Indians to lose to Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore to lose to Gujarat Titans by at least six runs in the final league stage match for them to qualify.

Kings’ disappointing start

Shikhar Dhawan said at the throw that the Rulers wouldn’t fret batting first in Dharamsala, however their top request was blown away early, leaving them reeling at 50 for 4 in 6.3 overs.

Trent Boult took his seventh first-over wicket when he caught and bowled Prabhsimran Singh, and Atharva Taide was run out by a short ball from Navdeep Saini.

Adam Zampa then finished off the powerplay with the wicket of Dhawan lbw clearing and Saini, added a subsequent when he shook Liam Livingstone’s stumps with the hitter swinging fiercely across the line.

It was understandable that the Kings batters kept going for their shots despite losing wickets. For them to have any slim possibility of meeting all requirements for the end of the season games, they needed to go hard in the powerplay in quest for a major aggregate. On this event, however, they didn’t succeed.

A middle-order resurrection

Then came the rebuild, launched by Jitesh Sharma and Sam Curran. Together, they hit just two fours and two sixes when they set up a fifty-run stand. Their partnership run rate of 7.69 at the time did not reflect the favorable batting conditions, but Zampa and Yuzvendra Chahal’s tidy spells forced them to play that way.

But when Jitesh tore into Saini’s 14th over, everything seemed to change. At first, Jitesh went 4, 6, 4, but the inning ended with the batter out on the 44th pitch. Regardless, their organization of 64 in 7.2 overs gave Lords any expectation of a decent aggregate.

Chahal, Boult leak runs

With Lords on 141 after 18 overs, Chahal came to bowl. Be that as it may, the purple-cap holder’s over ended up being the innings’ most costly as both Shahrukh and Curran pummeled him for 28 runs.

Then the Rulers pair rode on the rear of a few smudgy shots to add 18 more in Boult’s last over. Together, they added 46 in the last 12 balls, Lords scored 70 in their last five overs, and Royals were left pursuing a precarious 188.

Padikkal clicks at No. 3

After Buttler enlisted his third duck in succession, Padikkal and Jaiswal gathered limits through the point locale with the Lords bowlers attempting to bowl wide. They added 73 runs in 8.1 overs by not letting Arshdeep Singh, Curran, or Kagiso Rabada settle.

Jaiswal tried to build his innings while keeping the required run rate in check, despite Padikkal’s dominance. However, the Royals went from 85 for 1 to 90 for 3, as Padikkal and Samson both fell quickly.

Hetmyer, Parag, Jurel seal the deal

Jaiswal was able to carry on with his role because Hetmyer was quick off the bat with two sixes. Hetmyer continued to blitz 46 off 28 despite Jaiswal’s fifty, and Riyan Parag also contributed with two sixes off Rabada to play a cameo of 20 off 12.

Anyway neither could bring the group home, falling late. The obligation tumbled to Jurel, who held his nerve in Boult’s organization to close the coordinate with a straight six Rahul Chahar in the last over.