Thanks to Kartik Tyagi, Rajasthan edge Punjab Kings
Rajasthan Royals pulled off a two-run win against Punjab Royals in a match that remained undecided till the final over. Setting a target of 186, Rajasthan looked dead and buried when Punjab only required four runs in their final over.
However, brilliance from tall pacer Kartik Tyagi changed their fortunes. As both the teams came into this match with six points, this win will be massive for Samson’s men going into the rest of the tournament.
Lewis, Jaiswal create a solid foundation
With such a low-scoring game on the previous day between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore, it was almost inevitable that we were going to see boundaries flying everywhere in this match. And that’s exactly what happened.
Both the Rajasthan openers, Evin Lewis and Yashasvi Jaiswal, were the centre of attention as they gave the 2008 IPL champions a flying start.
In the first five overs, the Royals were going at the run rate of 10 runs per over. Lewis scored 36 runs off 21 balls, with seven fours and one six, before falling to Arshdeep Singh. After Samson left the crease early, Livingstone and Jaiswal created a 48-run partnership which set the stage for Rajasthan to attack the last five overs. Jaiswal was the pick of the Royal batsmen as he scored 49 runs off 36 balls, with six fours and two sixes.
Despite wickets falling on the other end, Mahipal Lomror scored a quickfire 43 off 17 to ensure that Rajasthan put a commendable score of 185 runs on the board. Arshdeep Singh was the pick of the bowlers for Punjab Kings as he took a 5-wicket haul and cleaned the Rajasthan tail. Mohammad Shami also chipped in with three wickets for the 2014 runner-ups.
Tyagi’s heroics decide the match for Samson’s men
The run chase of Punjab Kings couldn’t have started any better. Both the openers (KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal) were influential in putting the men in red in the driver seat. KL Rahul lead from the front as he scored 49 runs off 33 balls, with six boundaries to his name. However, Agarwal was the star of the show.
The right-hander scored 67 runs off 43 balls, with seven fours and two sixes. The opening partnership was worth 120 runs.
Quick wickets of both the Punjab openers brought Rajasthan back into the match. With 60 runs required of seven overs and two new batsmen at the crease, the match hung in the balance.
Markram and Pooran tried to minimize the deficit by matching the required run rate. However, Morris bowled a superb sixteenth over as he gave away just six runs to keep everyone glued to their TV screens. The match looked to be decided in the seventeenth over as Pooran smashed Mustafizur Rehman for a four and six, getting 17 runs off that over. In the next over, Markram lofted Morris for the maximum to put Punjab on the cusp of victory.
With just four runs required off the last over, it looked to be an easy win for Punjab. However, a superb final over from Kartik Tyagi changed the match back in Rajasthan’s favor. He only gave away two runs in his over and took two wickets as Rajasthan held their nerve.
