Anurag Kumar
Thursday’s 32-run victory over Chennai Super Kings brought Rajasthan Royals back to winning ways and the top of the Indian Premier League standings after consecutive losses.
Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 43-ball 77 at the top of the order and Dhruv Jurel’s (34 off 15) and Devdutt Padikkal’s (27* off 13) late-innings pyrotechnics helped Rajasthan Royals post 202/5 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, the highest-ever IPL total in Jaipur.
Despite Shivam Dube’s 52 off 33 balls, CSK were unable to take the lead in the chase and were limited to 170/6. Mahendra Singh Dhoni and company dropped to second place as RR completed a season-long double over them.
Jaiswal was in superb form from the start. He struck three fours off the first four balls bowled by the left-arm pacer, Akash Singh, before hitting three fours and a six off the left-arm pacer in the second over. On his way to his third fifty of the season, the left-handed batsman once again demonstrated why he is one of the most promising Indian players.
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Rajasthan reached 85/0 in eight overs despite Jos Buttler’s relatively poor batting performance (27 runs off 21 balls). Prior to Tushar Deshpande’s dismissal of Jaiswal and captain Sanju Samson (17 runs off 17 balls) in the 14th over, England’s ace opener fell in the ninth over. Soon after, Shimron Hetmyer also fell inexpensively (8 off 10) to make matters worse for RR.
From the 14th to the 17th over, Chennai had a strong period, allowing only 28 runs. Thanks to Jurel and Padikkal, RR was able to score 49 runs in the final three overs to mount a spirited comeback.
Maheesh Theekshana (1/24) bowled with excellent skill and control, whereas his Sri Lankan teammate Matheesha Pathirana (0/48) was costly.
In response, CSK posted their lowest powerplay total of the season (42/1) as Sandeep Sharma, in particular, performed superbly by allowing only eight runs in two overs. Ruturaj Gaikwad continued his impressive run and scored 47 runs off 29 balls before being dismissed by Adam Zampa in the tenth over.
In the eleventh over, R Ashwin removed the in-form Ajinkya Rahane and Ambati Rayudu within three deliveries. This was a pivotal juncture in the match. CSK required a partnership after being reduced to 73/4, and Shivam Dube and Moeen Ali (23 off 12) provided it quickly.
Dube went on to score his third consecutive fifty and hit four sixes during his innings to give CSK a glimmer of hope. In the end, however, the target proved to be too large as RR bowled with discipline and allowed only 45 runs in the final five overs. Dube and Ravindra Jadeja (23* off 15) pieced together 46 runs for the sixth wicket, but it was insufficient.
Zampa was the most effective bowler with 3/22, while Sharma returned wicketless but bowled a high-quality spell of 0/24.
