Cricket

Cricket   |   April 6, 2023

IPL 2023: Punjab Kings defeat Rajasthan Royals in a tense encounter 

In Match 8 of the TATA IPL 2023 at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati, the Punjab Kings beat the Rajasthan Royals to make it two wins in two and jump to second place in the table. The Kings were led by their captain, Shikhar Dhawan, who played a perfectly paced unbeaten knock of 86 off 56 balls after an explosive start by Prabhsimran Singh (60 off 34) as they posted a competitive 197/4. 

Nathan Ellis then bowled an incisive spell of 4/30 while Curran held his nerve and defended 16 off the last over to help the Kings win by five runs in a tense finish after Hetmyer (36 off 18) and Dhruv Jurel (32* off 15) had led the Royals’ fightback.

The Rajasthan Royals won the toss and elected to bowl first. The Kings got off to a strong start with Singh smashing the ball around the ground before eventually falling for 60. Dhawan then took over, scoring an unbeaten 86 to help his team post a formidable total of 197/4. Enhance your IPL viewing experience with attractive betting odds from NextBet.

The Royals’ chase got off to a good start with Yashasvi Jaiswal hitting a six off the first ball of the innings. Buttler then joined in, getting lucky as he mistimed a pull off Curran but was dropped in the deep. However, he was soon dismissed by Arshdeep Singh, caught and bowled for 19 off 11 balls. Sanju Samson and Devdutt Padikkal then steadied the innings with a 34-run stand off 32 balls.

However, Ellis returned to the attack and bowled a fantastic over, giving away just two runs off the first five balls and building pressure on the batsmen. He then had Samson caught at long off for 42 off 25, denting the Royals’ chances. Riyan Parag released some pressure with a slew of boundaries, but he holed out to long off off Ellis for 20(12).

With the required run-rate creeping up and 69 needed off 24, Shimron Hetmyer and Dhruv Jurel upped the scoring as they both hit a six each off Ellis’ final over to garner 16 runs. Hetmyer then swung a couple of sixes over the leg side and cracked one through extra cover for a four off Curran to make it 19 off the over and bring the equation down to 34 needed off 12.

Dhruv Jurel then joined the party and showed his talent and potential. He lofted one over mid-off for a four, smashed one over deep extra cover for a six, and then scooped one to fine leg for a four. Hetmyer then miscued a high full toss to deep mid-wicket where Ellis dropped a tough catch. That allowed them to scamper through for two runs, making it an 18-run over.

With 16 needed off the last over, Curran bowled an excellent first three balls and gave away just four runs which included the wicket of Hetmyer, who was run out trying to go for a non-existent second run.

With 12 required off two, Curran again bowled a clever wide delivery as Jurel shuffled way across for a scoop but missed, and they ran through for a bye. With 11 needed off two balls, Curran held his nerve and gave away a single and a four as the Kings won the match by five runs. Impact Player Jurel remained unbeaten on 32 off 15 balls. Follow NextBet Sports for more updates on the Indian Premier League. 

Brief Scores 

Punjab Kings 197/4 in 20 Overs (Dhawan 86*, Prabhsimran 60; Holder 2/29)

Rajasthan Royals 192/7 in 20 Overs (Samson 42, Hetmyer 36; Ellis 4/30)

Punjab Kings won by 5 runs.