In a thrilling encounter, the Sanju Samson-led Rajasthan Royals kept their hopes of qualifying for the IPL 2023 playoffs alive by securing a narrow win against the Punjab Kings in Dharamsala. The home team posted a competitive total, but their efforts were in vain as the Rajasthan batters unleashed a formidable response, knocking Punjab out of the tournament.
Impressive Partnerships and Rajasthan’s Chase
Rajasthan’s chase began with determination as Yashasvi Jaiswal, in exceptional form, smashed Sam Curran for three consecutive boundaries in the opening over of the second innings. However, Rajasthan suffered an early setback as Jos Buttler, their senior opening partner, endured a dismal IPL 2023 campaign, getting dismissed without opening his account for the third consecutive game. Buttler’s unfortunate dismissal made him the first player to register five ducks in a single edition of the tournament.
Despite the loss of Buttler, Rajasthan’s decision to promote Devdutt Padikkal up the batting order proved to be a masterstroke. Padikkal formed a scintillating partnership with Jaiswal, smashing 51 runs off just 30 deliveries and putting immense pressure on the Punjab bowlers.
Punjab fought back by taking quick wickets, dismissing Padikkal and Rajasthan’s captain Sanju Samson. Disaster struck for the visitors when Jaiswal departed after scoring his fifth half-century of the tournament while attempting a flashy reverse sweep.
With the responsibility of steering the team to victory falling on Shimron Hetmyer, the game took another turn as both Hetmyer and Riyan Parag were dismissed in quick succession.
Sam Curran and Shahrukh Khan Shine for PBKS
In the first innings, after winning the toss, Rajasthan Royals’ skipper Sanju Samson elected to bowl first. The decision paid off immediately as Trent Boult, the star Kiwi pacer, dismissed Prabhsimran Singh in the opening over of the match, marking the fifth time Boult claimed a wicket in the first over this season.
Despite the early setback, Punjab Kings maintained a strong momentum, thanks to a brisk partnership between captain Shikhar Dhawan and Atharva Taide. However, their solid start was disrupted as both batsmen fell in quick succession during the powerplay. The turning point came when Navdeep Saini clean-bowled Liam Livingstone, the hero of the previous match, for just nine runs.
Punjab’s innings took a thrilling turn as Sam Curran and Jitesh Sharma launched a counter-attacking partnership. Just when it seemed like Punjab was headed for a commanding total, Jitesh’s dismissal against Saini shifted the advantage back to the Rajasthan Royals.
However, a surprising captaincy decision from Sanju Samson gave Punjab a lifeline, allowing Curran and Shahrukh Khan to forge Punjab’s highest sixth-wicket partnership, accumulating 46 runs in the last two overs.
