Rajasthan Royals (RR) faced Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in an intense battle on the 36th day of the tournament at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur, Saturday, with the game coming to an edge-of-the-seat conclusion in the second Super Over, where LSG eventually emerged victorious by two runs.
The win was the first in the league for LSG, propelled by Avesh Khan’s excellent last over, where the bowler performed a hat-trick. LSG gained four points, which was enough to secure fourth place, along with three other teams, all of which had ten points, all with five wins and three losses. The run chase is really hard with the tournament getting more and more interesting.
Markram and Samad were the stars of the bat.
LSG captain Rishabh Pant won the toss and chose to bat first. But the loss of the two wickets during the powerplay overs, when the score was 46/2, put the visitors in a bit of an embarrassing situation with the loss of Mitchell Marsh (4) and Nicholas Pooran (11). Jofra Archer and Sandeep Sharma, the RR fast bowlers, began the early inroads, with Wanindu Hasaranga dismissing Pant for just 3.
It was a good effort from Aiden Markram (66 off 45), who was the mainstay of the inning, even while getting the required support from Ayush Badoni’s 76-run partnership that set the score 122/3 before he lost his wicket to Hasaranga. The loss of Markram’s wicket certainly had an impact on LSG when the partnership with Ayush Badoni, the latter of whom got his half-century, was broken.
Abdul Samad was the star of the show as his brilliant 27-ball 50 helped LSG chase 180/5 in the final over. He played his natural game and punished Sandeep Sharma for four sixes on the boundary.
Suryavanshi’s World Record Debut and Jaiswal’s Graceful Batting
In addition, before the start of the RR innings, Indian fans witnessed a historic moment as the youngest and fiercest player, 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi, made his first appearance in the IPL, becoming the youngest to do so. He not only set a new world record but managed to make his first touch to the ball in the IPL a six – a moment that hardly any cricketer must have dreamed of at such a tender age.
Suryavanshi’s fearless 20-ball 34 (2 fours, 3 sixes) initially helped create the right atmosphere. Meanwhile, Yashasvi Jaiswal brought up his third consecutive IPL fifty by a fluent 74 off 52, demonstrating an amazing result in the match. Their opening partnership of 61 runs in the powerplay has set the trend of the game.
Since they lost Suryavanshi and Nitish Rana, RR still looked good with Jaiswal and Riyan Parag (39 off 26) combined to produce a 62-run partnership.
Avesh Khan – The Super Chef Who Cooked the Win
When only 25 runs from 19 balls were needed, it was supposed to be an easy job for RR. But Avesh Khan (3/37) was not going to have it so.
He was the one who kicked off the downfall that saw Jaiswal, Parag, and Hetmyer all being out in quick succession. The match became very tight, as RR required just six runs off the last four deliveries, but Avesh was the difference.
He bowled excellent yorkers and got Shimron Hetmyer out at a very crucial time, which facilitated LSG to complete a sensational two-run victory.
What Does It Signify
LSG’s victory is obviously the most agitating one in the IPL, and it clearly indicates a new trend of last-over finishes as part of their season’s character. The match also spotlights the feather in the cap of that team, as four teams are now tied at 10 points.
They, nonetheless, will regret this loss apart from Suryavanshi’s debut heroics and Jaiswal’s consistency. 3rd point.
Best Player of the Match:
Avesh Khan – 3/37, including defending 9 runs in the final over.
Not only this, but the current IPL season adds raw action to the list of what we have seen over the years. Furthermore, this match has once again proven the league’s dramatic, unpredictable, and brilliant nature to be entirely accurate.
