Match #27, RR Vs PBKS, IPL 2024, The Rajasthan Royals defeated the Punjab Kings courtesy of Hetmyer’s brilliant knock, with Punjab showing their superior bowling ability.
Rajasthan Royals, 152 for 7 (Jaiswal 39, Hetmyer 27*, Rabada 2-18), defeated Punjab Kings, 147 for 8 (Ashutosh 31, Jitesh 29, Maharaj 2-23) by 3 wickets.
Shimron Hetmyer comes in for the Rajasthan Royals, needing 35 from 20. Perhaps it should never have been this close, given that the Punjab Kings’ 147 for 8 seemed at least ten runs too low on a pitch with some bounce but no known witchcraft. It also appeared from the Royals’ good, but not dominant, 56-run opening stand that they weren’t worried.
But then Kagiso Rabada bowled four overs for 18 runs, and the tail end of the match became tight. Rabada had also taken two huge wickets, those of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson, and was doing everything he could to create a match-winning hand.
However, despite a superb golden over from Sam Curran and a terrific effort from Arshdeep Singh, Hetmyer came out on top with a six off the last ball. Hetmyer had hit two sixes before that.
Player of the Match went to Shimron Hetmyer.
The final over thrill
Curran dismissed Powell and Maharaj in the 19th over, allowing only ten runs. The Royals needed another ten runs from the 20th over, and Hetmyer was on fire. Arshdeep produced two yorkers first, but the batter was unable to make use of them. The key shot in the final over was Hetmyer’s punch down the ground off the third ball.
Hetmyer swung hard and attacked the ball into the boundary cushion behind the bowler, scoring four runs off the last three. Hetmyer scored three times when he muscled the following ball towards long-on. Hetmyer shuffled over and thwacked the ball over a deep, fine leg, completing the thriller.
Charged by Rabada
Rabada was persistent in his defense of a modest target. He bowled two tight powerplay overs, yielding only 12 runs, before bowling strongly in the middle overs as the Kings looked for wickets. He dismissed Jaiswal with a short, wide one that the batsman toe-edged, then claimed the prized wicket of Royals captain Samson by swinging one back to hit the batter on the back leg. Rabada surrendered only two boundaries and took two wickets.
Kings’ mediocre performance
Until the final two overs, when Impact Sub Ashutosh Sharma took advantage of a lull and hit 20 off the last nine balls he faced, the Kings never appeared capable of getting into high gear. Every time it appeared that a partnership was forming, a wicket dropped. Frequently, this was due to batters falling for cross-bat shots on short balls that became large on them. Following the powerplay, they were 38 for 1, 53 for 4, and 86 for 5 after 15 overs. From there, Ashutosh, Rabada, and, to some part, Curran did well to turn this into such a close game.
What next for the teams?
The Punjab Kings stay at home and will face the Mumbai Indians on April 18, following a four-day break. The Royals had a shorter turnaround, traveling east to face KKR on April 16.
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