The Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings faced off in a thrilling encounter at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. Rajasthan Royals won the toss and opted to bowl first.
The Punjab Kings got off to a blistering start with Shikhar Dhawan and Prabhsimran Singh putting up a solid opening partnership of 90 runs within ten overs. However, Prabhsimran fell for 60 and Shahrukh Khan was dismissed cheaply for just 11 runs. Captain cool continued to play aggressively till the end of the innings and scored a quickfire 86* off 56 balls.
Kings’ captain Shikhar Dhawan performed brilliantly under pressure to take his team to a competitive total of 197/4 in their 20 overs.
Home team Rajasthan Royals didn’t get early momentum as they lost three wickets cheaply within the batting powerplay. Once Yashasvi Jaiswal fell for 13, Royals lost wickets at regular intervals and were struggling to keep up with the required run rate. Dhruv Jurel (32 off 15) and Shimron Hetmyer (36 off 18) played quick cameos but it wasn’t enough as the rest of the batting lineup failed to fire.
In the end, RR finished their innings at 192/7, falling short of the target by just 6 runs. Nathan Ellis was the pick of the bowlers for the Rajasthan Royals with figures of 4/30 in his 4 overs.
Overall, it was an entertaining match with some great batting performances from both sides. The Punjab Kings were able to hold their nerve and secure a second successive win of the tournament, while the Rajasthan Royals will be looking to bounce back in their next match.
The New Clear Mind – a professional writer who’s got a passion for three things- Reading, Writing, & Cricket!
