On Sunday, the Rajasthan Royals (RR) defeated the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by 20 runs in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at Jaipur’s Sawai Mansingh Stadium.
Nicholas Pooran’s unbeaten 64 and KL Rahul’s 58 were insufficient for LSG, as RR won the tie easily in the end.
Lucknow got off to the worst possible start, losing three wickets during the Powerplay, putting them on the back foot in this chase.
Lucknow got off to a bad start with the Royals’ overseas left-arm duo of Trent Boult (2/35) and debutant Nandre Burger (1/30), who came on as an impact sub, causing damage.
In his next over, Boult hit Devdutt Padikkal (0) on the helmet with a short ball before causing the next one to skid and crash into the middle stump, knocking it out of the ground.
Ayush Badoni (1) then played one straight to Jos Buttler at mid-on off Burger, leaving LSG on 11 for three after four overs.
Deepak Hooda came in as an impact sub for LSG and led his team’s recovery, but an increasing asking rate necessitated taking risks.
The right-hander perished when he attempted to clear the ropes against Yuzvendra Chahal for a 13-ball 26 studded with two sixes and as many fours after putting on 49 for the fourth wicket with Rahul.
With their backs against the wall, Rahul and Pooran led a strong recovery for LSG, scoring 85 runs for the fifth wicket to boost their team’s chances of victory.
Despite the asking rate of around 12 runs per over, neither Rahul nor Pooran took unnecessary risks and chose their bowlers to attack.
Rahul went after Burger in the 11th over, hitting 17 runs with a six and two fours off the last three balls, while Pooran hit two sixes and a four off Boult in the 13th.
But Sandeep Sharma (1/22) jolted LSG’s chase with Rahul’s key wicket, which was caught by Dhruv Jurel at sweeper cover, and Ashwin returned dangerous Marcus Stoinis (3), who was caught by Dhruv Jurel at deep midwicket, leaving them with 38 runs to get from the last two overs.
The fate of the game was sealed in the penultimate over, when Sandeep conceded only 11 runs despite Riyan Parag missing a difficult chance to dismiss Pooran.
Rajasthan Royals chose to bat first on a flat dry wicket, with the dynamic duo of Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal leading the way, while LSG’s Mohsin Khan got the ball rolling. Naveen-ul-haq bowled the second over for the Royals, drawing the first blood for the Giants. After conceding two boundaries to Buttler, Haq dismissed the England batsman thanks to a brilliant low diving catch by captain KL Rahul. The Royals lost their first wicket for thirteen.
Jaiswal continued his slaughter from the other end, smashing two consecutive boundaries off Mohsin Khan. The first was a little full outside of delivery, which Jaiswal thumped down the ground through sweeper cover, and the other was cut down to the deep, backward point.
Jaiswal was joined by skipper Sanju Samson, who began cautiously without taking any risks. However, after a few deliveries, Samson took over against Khan in the Power-play’s final over and hit a boundary and a six.
Jaiswal also joined the party, smashing a paddle scoop off Khan behind the wicket for six. Despite conceding 17 runs, Khan had the last laugh in the over, sending Jaiswal back.
Jaiswal lost his wicket to Khan in another big-hitting attempt, pulling a short and quicker one into the hands of Krunal Pandya in mid-on. Jaiswal received 24 out of 12 deliveries.
Riyan Parag, who came in at No. 4, got off to a good start but soon switched gears and unleashed some big shots, proving an effective partner for skipper Samson.
Parag punished Yash Thakur, with his first over costing 21 runs. Both Royals batters targeted their bowlers and took every possible risk to score against them. Parag and Samson welcomed Ravi Bishnoi with a 15-run over.
Skipper Samson scored his first fifty against the Lucknow Super Giants in 33 deliveries. In the meantime, left-arm unorthodox spinner Krunal Pandya kept the game in the Giants’ favor. His four-over spell cost only 19 runs, and he did not concede a single boundary.
Riyan Parag fell short of his half-century when he was dismissed by Haq, who took his second wicket of the evening. The Royals batter had already scored 14 runs, including a boundary, a maximum, and a few wides and singles. However, in an attempt to pull a short ball over a deep backward square leg, Parag was caught by substitute Deepak Hooda for 43.
Parag and Samson added 93 runs to their third-wicket partnership. However, the partnership was marred by three missed opportunities by the Giants’ fielder. Mohsin Khan dropped Parag at 21 and Samson at 36.
Skipper Samson was the Royals’ key batter, consistently finding gaps and scoring boundaries with ease. His innings were 82 off 52 deliveries were marked with six maximums and three boundaries.
Even though Rajasthan is only 193 for 4, their total remains impressive. Samson’s sixth six of the innings, a brilliant inside-out drive past long-off, seals the victory and dents Mohsin Khan’s final over. He had the option of leaving the last ball and getting out, but he batted well enough to finish undefeated on 82 from 52 balls—an outstanding captain’s performance.