Rajasthan Royals batsmen almost made a hash of their bowlers’ good work early on in Mullanpur on Saturday. But Shimron Hetmyer (27 not out off 10 balls) kept calm and unleashed his trademark meaty blows at the death to help the Royals carve out a three-wicket win over Punjab Kings with a ball to spare.
Earlier, Ashutosh Sharma (31 off 16 balls)’s late strikes had somehow helped Punjab, who were without their regular captain Shikhar Dhawan (out with a niggle), post 147/8 after they were put in.
The tricky and two-paced Mullanpur surface did make strokeplay a tad difficult, yet the Royals were in control, thanks to the 56-run stand between Yashasvi Jaiswal and Tanush Kotian in eight overs. The Royals also had to tweak their opening pair as a niggle had ruled Jos Buttler out alongside off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.
But Kagiso Rabada’s spell, where he showed his class, dragged Punjab back into the contest as he first got rid of Jaiswal and then trapped skipper Sanju Samson lbw. The Royals were gradually beginning to feel a bit of pinch, till the dismissals of the in-form Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel put the pressure right back on them.
Rajasthan Royals' Keshav Maharaj celebrates after dismissing Jonny Bairstow, his maiden IPL wicket, on Saturday. PTI
That’s when Hetmyer took charge. With 26 needed off 13 balls, the West Indies left-hander slammed Harshal Patel for a six. In the penultimate over, his Windies teammate Rovman Powell hit Sam Curran for back-to-back boundaries before the England all-rounder struck back to remove the former and then Keshav Maharaj.
With 10 needed off the final over, Arshdeep Singh got his yorkers right to keep Hetmyer quiet in the first two balls. Pressure was as good as doubled on Hetmyer, but just as Arshdeep erred in his lengths, he struck a six, took a couple and then wrapped it up with another maximum to help the Royals cement their position at No.1.
Some credit also needs to go to South Africa left-arm spinner Maharaj (2/23) for his spell, which turned the screw on the Punjab batters in the first half.
