Punjab Kings 145 for 5 (Curran 63*, Avesh 2-28, Chahal 2-31) wiped out Rajasthan Royals 144 for 9 by five wickets. T20s and leagues such as the IPL can see rapid changes in form. This nonstop action has the potential to turn the tide too. Rajasthan Royals (RR) became the second IPL team to do so, after Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Yet, unlike RCB, who have won five consecutive matches, RR has now lost four in a row. After winning three in a row, their prospects of finishing in the top two have reduced. The latest defeat occurred in Guwahati. Sam Curran and the rest of the Punjab Kings (PBKS) bowlers combined to limit RR to 144.
Curran, who took 2 for 24, led PBKS’ batsmen to an unbroken 63 to complete the chase with seven balls remaining and five massive wickets to spare.
Aggressive Bowling By Curran & Other Bowlers
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Curran’s heroics fully spoiled the local lad Riyan Parag’s day. He scored 48, precisely one-third of RR’s total. Sanju Samson chose to bat in the IPL’s inaugural game at the Barsapara Stadium. And after four overs, the game remained deadlocked, with RR on 31 for one.
Curran had Yashasvi Jaiswal chopping off the fourth ball of the day. Just after the first was hammered past cover for four. Samson hit three boundaries in his first eight balls, including a blow-off from Arshdeep Singh with the full face of the bat. At the other end, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who replaced Jos Buttler, started slowly.
Curran then introduced Nathan Ellis for his sixth over. Ellis bowled cutters on a sluggish pitch where the ball appeared to halt. And he even hit some on a hard length to test the batsmen. And that’s when RR slowed. The following 3.2 overs yielded only 11 runs, with Samson and Kohler-Cadmore retiring for 18.
PBKS bowled ten dot balls in three overs, beginning with the sixth. While Ellis and Harshal Patel made excellent use of the variations. Rahul Chahar discovered a turn. Curran handed the ninth over to Harpreet Brar, a left-arm spinner, with two right-handed hitters in Parag and R Ashwin. But Ashwin hit a streaky boundary to score ten off the over.
RR had only 68 runs on the board after 11 overs when Ashwin counterattacked. He slogged Chahar over midwicket for six, then reverse swept and lofted him over the covers for four. However, Arshdeep interrupted Ashwin’s party in the following over, catching him at deep point after an exciting 28 off 19 balls.
Riyan Parag’s Standout Performance:
Riyan Parag showed exceptional ball-handling skills during the match between the RR and the PBKs in Guwahati on May 15, 2024.
RR was 102 for 6 midway through the 15th over. But Parag fought on. By then, Curran had dismissed Dhruv Jurel for a duck. Chahar had Rovman Powell caught and bowled for four. The death overs (17-20) began with RR on 113 runs when Parag walloped and slashed Arshdeep for successive fours.
PBKS denied Parag a strike for the whole 19th over. On the 20th, Harshal trapped Parag for 48 with his signature dipping, slow full ball. The Purple Cap exchanged heads once more, with Harshal finishing the day with 22 wickets, two ahead of Jasprit Bumrah.
Strong Finish By PBKS: Curran’s Partnership
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At No. 6. Jitesh Sharma joined Curran at the crease after RR paused the pursuit. Despite Rilee Rossouw’s response after Prabhsimran Singh‘s early loss, Trent Boult struck in the opening over for the 28th time in IPL history, And RR had PBKS at 37 for 3 after five overs. When Yuzvendra Chahal caught Jonny Bairstow at long-on for a scratchy 14 off 22. PBKS were 48 for 4 at that time.
But Jitesh and Curran didn’t let RR run away with the game just yet. Jitesh hit his second ball for six, while Curran scored a fortuitous four off Chahal’s bottom edge. They continued to score singles while sometimes hitting the boundary, with Curran swiping Chahal wide of long-on, smashing Ashwin to deep extra cover, and flicking Boult behind square in consecutive overs.
With six overs remaining, the required rate had increased to 9.33 per over. Just after Jitesh and Curran hit sixes off Ashwin. After Jitesh’s suspension, PBKS called on Ashutosh Sharma as an Impact Sub, and the match was quickly finished.
Ashutosh blasted Avesh for four before Curran and Ashutosh smacked three sixes in five balls to tie the game and seal victory.
Also Read: Rabada Suffers Injury Scare South Africa Ahead Of T20 WC 2024
About the Author
Zartash Zulfiqar is a passionate cricket writer whose love for cricket shines through in every word. From match analyses to player profiles, she delivers insightful commentary that resonates with fans worldwide. Stay tuned for the latest from the world of cricket, brought to you by Zartash.
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