Yashasvi Jaiswal’s half-century and Riyan Parag’s quick 43 runs were the highlights of Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) innings, as they became the first team to score over 200 runs in an IPL match at Mullanpur. RR’s top six also played well, ensuring that there were no major setbacks despite the pitch having some uneven bounce.
The PBKS bowlers were able to effectively utilize their slower balls on this particular pitch, while the RR batsmen consistently managed to find the boundaries. A total of ten sixes were hit, with Jaiswal contributing five and Parag adding three to the count.
The outcome of this match may hinge on the consistency of the weather during the chase. Shreyas Iyer’s decision to bowl first in PBKS’ inaugural home game was based on the anticipation of dew affecting the second half of the match.
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Iyer’s hopes of securing early wickets to limit RR’s score were not fulfilled, despite the initial swing from left-arm bowlers Arshdeep Singh and Marco Jansen. Jaiswal took advantage of a few plays and misses, and with a stroke of luck on his side, he quickly hit two consecutive sixes off Jansen in the fourth over.
Along with Samson’s strong ball timing, RR achieved their first wicketless powerplay of the season, reaching 53 runs without losing a wicket in the initial six overs. However, their pace slowed down in the next five overs, only scoring 39 runs and losing Samson in the 11th over. But Jaiswal quickly picked up the speed again, increasing his score from 46 off 39 balls to 67 off 44 before getting bowled by a Lockie Ferguson knuckle ball in the 14th over.
Parag’s performance displayed a familiar pattern. He faced difficulties at the start, especially against Arshdeep’s slower ball, and was only able to score 12 runs off 14 deliveries by the 16th over. However, he adapted to the pitch and smashed 31 runs off his last 11 balls. In addition, cameos from Nitish Rana, Shimron Hetmyer, and Dhruv Jurel helped RR surpass 200 runs in the last over of their innings.
