Picture Credit: BCCI/IPL
Yuzvendra Chahal's four-wicket haul and blistering knock from Shimron Hetmyer guided Rajasthan Royals to the top of the IPL points table after they defeated Lucknow Super Giants on Sunday by 3 runs. The second match of the day brought inaugural champions up against debutants and informed Lucknow Super Giants at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Batting first, the Royals started well as openers Jos Buttler (13 off 11), and Devdutt Padikkal (29 of 29) provided a solid start to the side as together they added 42 runs on board for the first wicket. The dismissal of Buttler saw a mini-collapse in the middle-order as skipper Sanju Samson (13 off 12), and Van der Dussen (4 off 4) could not make a valuable contribution in the first innings. But, Shimron Hetmyer's steady knock and R Ashwin's unprecedented batting helped the Royals to post a competitive total on board. Hetmyer scored 59 off 36 balls, while Ashwin's 28 in 23 balls before the latter was shockingly retired hurt, giving way to Riyan Parag (8 off 4).
In the second innings, Royals' experienced bowler Trent Boult wreaked havoc tp Lucknow's top-order as he bowled skipper KL Rahul and Krishnappa Gowtham in the first and second ball of the first over, respectively. The start which Boult provided was very well capitalised by Yuzvendra Chahal as leggy picked four wickets in the game to derail Giants' run chase.
Let's take a look at some of the highlights of the thrilling match between Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants.
1. Rajasthan Royals' mini-collapse in first innings
Royals were well cruising ahead on the back of Jos Buttler and Devdutt Padikkal's partnership, but Jos Butler's dismissal in the sixth over of the first innings put Royals on the back-foot. While Sanju Samson had a lot of responsibility on his shoulders, he could not survive for long as he was trapped leg before wicket by Jason Holder in the 9th over of the game. RR was tottering at 60-2 in 8.3 overs, but the trouble was not over yet as Krishnappa Gowtham's best was loading in the next over. Gowtham dismissed settled Devdutt Padikkal (29 off 29) and Der Dussen (4 off 4) in the first and fifth ball of the ninth over, respectively.
2. The partnership between Shimron Hetmyer and R Ashwin
The duo added 68 runs on board when the Royals were struggling to add runs on board. Shimron Hetmyer started slow, while Ashwin was promoted in order to steady the innings and keep adding the runs on board. Both understood the responsibility and held the fort for their side, as Hetmyer and Ashwin kept ticking the right boxes in the game and took the Royals to defend the total onboard before Ashwin was retired hurt.
3. Trent Boult's first over in the second innings
Lucknow Super Giants had a not-so massive total to chase, a steady and solid start from the openers was something they were seeking when KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock opened the second innings. However, little did they know what was coming from experienced Trent Boult. The Rajasthan bowler surprised KL Rahul with an inswinger and bowled him in front of the Wankhede crowd on the very first ball of the first over. While Rahul returned to the pavilion without even opening the account, Krishnappa Gowtham joined De Kock with a similar fate. Boult made the best use of the day as he trapped Gowtham's leg before wicket on the very next ball. Lucknow Super Giants' scorecard read 1-2 in 0.2 overs. The added-on run was courtesy to wide by Boult.
4. Yuzvendra Chahal's four-wicket haul
Yuzvendra Chahal is turning out to be one of the best leg-spinners in the tournament as he rarely ends a match without making a valuable contribution to his side. In a game against Lucknow Super Giants, he picked four crucial wickets, which included the crucial wickets of Quinton de Kock (39 off 32), Ayush Badoni (5 off 7), and Krunal Pandya (22 off 15), and Dushmantha Chameera (13 off 7). Chahal was rewarded with the Player of the Match award for his superb spell in the second innings.