Skipper Sam Curran played the lead role, hitting a fast-paced fifty and taking two wickets as Punjab Kings condemned Rajasthan Royals to a five-wicket defeat in their IPL match in Guwahati on Wednesday. The target was just 145 but Kings overcame that on a slow track here, but Curran (63 not out, 41b, 5×4, 3×6) had the calm head and skills to take them to their fifth win of the season. PBKS were 145/5 in 18.5 overs. The Englishman received good support from Jitesh Sharma (22, 20b) as the duo added 63 runs in a fluent fifth-wicket partnership.
For the Royals, it was their fourth consecutive defeat, but they remained in second place in the table with 16 points and, on top of that, qualified for the playoffs.
The Kings’ chase got off to a shaky start when they lost Prabhsimran Singh in the first to Trent Boult.
But bigger shocks were in store when a stunning Avesh Khan (2/28) scalped two wickets in the fifth over.
The right-arm pacer first took the important wicket of Rilee Rossouw, who hit some strong shots in her 13-ball 22, and then dismissed the in-form Shashank Singh for a two-ball zero.
Shashank failed to get a fuller, straighter strike from Avesh when attempting a flick, and the 141 kmph delivery bounced off his bat. Shashank didn’t even bother to use DRS as he walked away.
Punjab gained some ground through the alliance between Curran and Jitesh, who smoked R Ashwin for two sixes.
Curran also dished out a dose of punishment to the veteran, offering him a wonderful six for extra cover.
But the flourishing position was taken by Yuzvendra Chahal (2/31), leaving PBKS at 111 for five in the 16th over.
However, Curran and Ashutosh Sharma (17 not out, 11 balls) knocked out the remaining runs without further drama.
Earlier, despite a well-adjusted 48 from local hero Riyan Parag, RR struggled against a host of accurate bowlers on a rather slow pitch, meandering to an under-par 144 for nine.
R Ashwin (28, 19b, 3×4, 1×6) and Parag (48, 34, 6×4) tried to accelerate during their 50-run stand for the fourth wicket, but this only managed to bring a temporary boost to RR.
In fact, the lethargy began very early in the Rajasthan innings after the early defeat of Jaiswal, who clipped a Curran (2/24) delivery back onto the stumps.
Sanju Samson (18), who surpassed 500 runs in a season for the first time in his IPL career, and Tom-Kohler Cadmore (18, 23b) stitched 36 runs for the second wicket but took six overs for it.
But with Curran and Arshdeep finding a touch of swing and maintaining a good line, scoring was not an easy proposition for the RR batsmen.
Eventually, Samson, who tried a pacer Nathan Ellis, gave a simple catch to Rahul Chahar in the seventh over.
Cadmore also returned to the bench in the next over as their powerful leg-spinner Chahar (2/26) was unable to progress beyond Jitesh in the deep.
These two dismissals paved the way for the best spell in the Royals’ innings as Ashwin and Parag stepped on the right pedal.
Ashwin showcased his batting skills, crushing Chahar for 17 runs in the 12th over, which included a sequence of 6, 4, 4 and the first four was a stunning reverse knock over backward point.
But he was unable to extend his innings further, shifting Arshdeep to Shashank.
Parag, usually a free-flowing batsman, had to contain his talent in front of an adoring home crowd because of the regular fall of wickets at the other end.
But a late cut from Curran that sped to third man was testament to his skill and timing as he also passed the 500-run mark for the season before being trapped in front of the wicket by Harshal Patel.
However, apart from conquering these small peaks, the RR hitters have not been able to hit the top gear consistently.
(Except the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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