Rajasthan eliminates Royal Challengers Bengaluru through the performances of Ashwin, Parag and Powell to set up second qualifier clash against SRH next
AHMEDABAD: Riyan Parag (36 off 26 balls; 2×4, 2×6) continued his evolution as a cricketer on Wednesday. He lost his captain, Sanju Samson after an imprudent shot and Dhruv Jurel was involved in a debatable run-out but he did not lose his nerve. Shimron Hetmyer and Rovman Powell also made valuable contributions with the bat as they helped Rajasthan Royals to chase down the target of 173 runs at the loss of four wickets against RCB.
RCB’s winning streak of six matches ended in the Eliminator while Rajasthan Royals will go on to play Sunrisers Hyderabad in the second qualifier set for Chennai on Friday.
The over which reversed fortunes for Rajasthan Royals was bowled by Cameron Green in which Riyan Parag hit him over extra cover for six before guiding him past short third man for four. Hetmyer’s six took the score to seventeen runs for that over. Yash Dayal then scored eleven runs from one over.
Just as Faf Du Plessis caught Hetmyer in the 18th over and Siraj had Parag dismissed with a yorker, Powell, who took four catches in the first innings, got them over the line with an over to spare.
RR’s chase of 173 set by Royal Challengers Bengaluru began with sedate two overs where they scored six runs only. After that Yashasvi Jaiswal (45 off 30b, 8×4) sparked it off scoring 16 off a Yash Dayal over. Thereafter Tom Kohler-Cadmore (20 off 15b; 4×4) struck two boundaries in a Mohammed Siraj over. The slower yorker bowled by Lockie Ferguson worked as he sent back the England opener for his first wicket of the day. Jaiswal, however, was out caught behind from Green’s bowling in the ninth over.
Samson was out stumped on the next ball bringing together Jurel and Parag. Before being run out by Virat Kohli’s quick piece of fielding on one side, they made up a partnership of twenty-six. A solid partnership between Parag and Hetmyer increased RR’s chances after adding forty-five runs from twenty-five balls.
In fact, Royal Challengers Bengaluru were kept to 172/8 through good catching and strong bowling performance from RR at different stages. With this information below is what happened at Powerplay when Rajasthan Royals decided to field first today. Trent Boult delivered goods today if it was Australia left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc who shone with swing bowling on Tuesday evening.
Boult didn’t bowl out Starc but he bowled a dream opening spell (3-0-6-1). Boult kept the scoring rate down and so Kohli and Du Plessis attacked other bowlers. For example, it was Kohli who started with a flick off Sandeep Sharma which was then thrashed over long on for six by Du Plessis.
In an attempt to break free from Boult’s stranglehold, the RCB skipper danced down the track and pulled a short ball towards deep midwicket only to be brilliantly caught by Rovman Powell.
Kohli (33 off 24b; 3×4, 1×6) looked to go after Yuzvendra Chahal in his first over. He tried to slog sweep the leg spinner but found substitute fielder Donovan Ferreira at deep mid-wicket.
Chahal then got smashed for a maximum over the leg side boundary by Cameron Green (27 off 21b; 2×4, 1×6) before following that up with four runs over long on. After this Ashwin dismissed Green and Maxwell from consecutive balls thus pulling back Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Lomror hit sixes off Chahal while batting alongside Rajat Patidar (34 off 22b; 2×4, 2×6), who also struck another maximum against Khan. Khan however had the last laugh as Parag took the catch of Patidar at mid-off.
Dinesh Karthik (11 off 12b; 1×4) survived a close LBW shout from his opening delivery when DRS upheld an appeal overturned by on-field umpire. Nevertheless, there was no acceleration in the innings as Jaiswal took a catch at cover point during Khan’s bowling to dismiss him with just one more run coming into RCB’s team total. Despite Mahipal Lomror’s cameo (32 off 17b; 2×4, 2×6), RCB never really got going in terms of the death overs and finished with 172.
