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The Rajasthan Royals (RR) beat the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by 3 runs in yesterday’s IPL match at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Sent into bat after losing the toss, RR recovered from a precarious position to reach 165 for 6 courtesy of Shimron Hetmyer’s stroke-filled half-century.
Trent Boult then claimed two wickets in the first over while leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal picked up four as LSG crumbled to 126 for 8. Marcus Stoinis’ brilliant cameo of 38* in 17 balls gave them brief hope, but it was a case of too little too late as LSG finished on 162 for 8.
With 49 needed off the last three overs, Stoinis deposited Chahal for a six over deep midwicket. In the penultimate over, he thumped an erratic Prasidh Krishna for a four and two sixes to bring the equation down to 15 off the last over.
Under pressure while playing in his first IPL match, RR pacer Kuldeep Sen displayed nerves of steel and bowled three dot balls to Stoinis. The Aussie all-rounder slapped the last two balls for four and six respectively but Sen had done enough to ensure victory for Rajasthan.
Lucknow got off to a torrid start in their chase of 166, losing three wickets inside the powerplay. Boult cleaned up opposition captain KL Rahul first-ball. The left-arm seamer got one to angle in sharply from around the wicket and dismantled the batter’s furniture. The move to promote Krishnappa Gowtham also flopped. He too was dismissed for a duck. This time, Boult went over the wicket and trapped the batter leg-before with a ball that pitched around off and shaped back in.
Jason Holder’s promotion in the batting order also failed as he sliced a pull off Krishna. The West Indian was back in the hut for 8 and LSG were in massive trouble at 14 for 3 in the fourth over.
Deepak Hooda fought hard for his 25, but fell immediately after the first time-out. He tried to take on pacer Sen, but ended up becoming his first IPL wicket. Hooda attempted a swing across the line, but missed the ball and was bowled.
RR leggie Chahal dealt LSG’s hopes another big blow, sending back the talented Ayush Badoni for 5. The youngster danced down the pitch to a full delivery outside off and only managed to slice the stroke to long-off.
Quinton de Kock hung around till the 16th over, but with wickets constantly falling at the other end, he could never break free. His innings ended on 39 off 32 as he tried to take on Chahal, but only managed to give a simple catch to long-on. The Rajasthan leggie had his second of the over and third of the innings when he bowled Krunal Pandya (22), who missed his attempted sweep.
Chahal grabbed his fourth wicket of the match and the 150th of his IPL career when he trapped Dushmantha Chameera (13) with a yorker-length delivery. RR had to use the review after the on-field umpire denied a vociferous appeal. It all seemed like one-way traffic at that point, but Stoinis added some much-needed excitement with his powerful hitting, albeit in a losing cause.
Hetmyer blitz lifts RR to 165 for 6 against LSG
Hetmyer slammed an unbeaten 59 off 36 balls, a knock punctuated by six sixes, as RR recovered from a poor first half to post a competitive 165 for 6. Sent into bat by LSG, Rajasthan went from 42 for no loss in five overs to 67 for 4. The in-form Hetmyer provided the final flourish to the innings to give RR bowlers a decent total to defend.
Jos Buttler opened the RR innings with Devdutt Padikkal as Yashasvi Jaiswal was dropped from the playing XI. Although the England batter slammed Holder for a four and a six in the second over, Padikkal was the aggressive partner in the stand. He took on Ravi Bishnoi in the fourth over and hammered him for consecutive fours. The leg-spinner could have had dismissed him next ball but botched a simple caught-and-bowled.
Avesh Khan broke the opening partnership by cleaning up Buttler (13) with a full delivery that angled in. Rajasthan skipper Sanju Samson (13) then missed a full toss from Holder and was caught in front of the stumps. Padikkal’s innings ended on a run-a-ball 29 as he top-edged a reverse sweep off K Gowtham. The offie had two in his first over as he bowled Rassie van der Dussen (4) with one that went straight through.
Ashwin was sent into bat at No. 6, to hold one end up so that Hetmyer could attack from the other. Gowtham could have dismissed Hetmyer on 14 but Krunal dropped a sitter at long-on. LSG had to pay for the let-off as the left-handed batter clobbered Holder for two sixes and a four in the 18th over.
In an interesting move, Ashwin walked back retired out on 28 off 23. He had done a decent job, having even slapped Gowtham for consecutive sixes. Hetmyer clubbed two sixes each in the last two overs bowled by Avesh and Holder as RR finished their innings on a high.
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IPL 2022, RR vs LSG: Who won Man of the Match yesterday?
Hetmyer stood out for RR with the bat. Without his contribution of 59* in 36 balls, Rajasthan would have struggled to post a decent score. With the ball, Boult was brilliant at the start, sending back Rahul and Gowtham in the first over. Chahal then bamboozled Lucknow's batters to finish with 4 for 41.
Gowtham was LSG’s best bowler, claiming 2 for 30. Avesh got the big wicket of Buttler and conceded only 31 in his four overs. Stoinis played a brilliant cameo for Lucknow in a losing cause.
Chahal was named the Player of the Match for his four-wicket haul.
