Published on: May 19, 2023 11:27 pm IST|Updated on: May 20, 2023 9:28 am IST
Match no 66 of Tata IPL 2023 between Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals is done and dusted. The Royals held their nerves to register a magnificent win in this fixture by 4 wickets and have kept their playoff hopes alive. With this won, RR are now sit at the 5th spot, whereas, Punjab Kings are eliminated now and end their yet another disappointing season at the 8th spot.
Youngsters Devdutt Padikkal, Navdeep Saini, and Yashasvi Jaiswal were at the helm of things for Rajasthan Royals’ monumental win against Punjab Kings at the Dharamsala Cricket Stadium in Himachal Pradesh. Shimron Hetmyer too played a decisive knock to keep RR afloat with the target. For his timely fifty in the second innings, Devdutt Padikkal was adjudged the Man of the Match.
After winning the toss, RR’s skipper Sanju Samson asked Punjab Kings to bat. The decision was a fruitful one for Sanju as RR chipped in with 3 wickets inside the powerplay. PBKS got some push with Jitesh Sharma and Sam Curran’s 64 runs stand for the 5th wicket and in the end some lusty blows from Shahrukh Khan who scored an unbeaten 41 off 23 helped PBKS end their innings at 187 for the loss of 5 wickets. Sam Curran was the top scorer with unbeaten 49 off 31 whereas Jitesh Sharma scored a crucial 41 off 23 deliveries. Navdeep Saini playing only his second match of the season was the pick of the bowlers as he scalped 3 wickets for 40 runs from 4 overs.
In reply, RR’s chase was led by young left-hand batters Yashasvi Jaiswal and Devdutt Padikkal. The duo stitched 73 runs for the second wicket in quick time after Jos Buttler got dismissed for yet another duck. RR’s run rate took a dip once the partnership was broken and Devdutt got out for a well-deserved 51 off 30 deliveries. Yashasvi too followed the suit and just after completing his 50, fell to Nathan Ellis. Shimron Hetmyer then held the fort from one end and kept RR in the game with a brilliant 46 off 28 deliveries. The match went to the last over where RR needed 9 with Dhruv Jurel and Trent Boult at the wicket. Jurel held his nerve and hit a 6 straight past the bowler (Rahul Chahar) on the fourth ball of the over to register a win for RR and keep their playoff hopes alive.
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Tags: IPL 2023Rajasthan RoyalsRoyal Challengers Bangalore