No nerves from Hetmyer
With the longer boundary on Hetmyer's leg side, Agarwal gives the ball to Rahul Chahar. He starts with a wide down the leg side, and was perhaps lucky that Hetmyer didn't get any bat on that. The next one is fuller on the stumps and Hetmyer nonchalantly launches it over long-on. That levels the scores.
Chahar bowls two dots but ends up serving a full toss with one needed from three balls. Hetmyer chips it towards long-on, where the fielder charges in but it lands short. A walking single takes Royals over the line.
Here's a teaser from our report:
A returning Yashasvi Jaiswal scored a sparkling half-century as Rajasthan Royals chased down 190 against Punjab Kings with two balls to spare. The win helped them consolidate their third position on the points table.
Cameos from Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson gave Royals a flying start but with Devdutt Padikkal struggling, Jaiswal almost singlehandedly steered the chase with his 68 off 41 balls. Royals needed 49 off 34 balls when he got out, and despite Padikkal dragging them down with a 32-ball 31, Shimron Hetmyer took them over the line with an unbeaten 31 off 16 balls.
Earlier, after Samson lost his tenth toss in 11 games, Punjab Kings rode on Jonny Bairstow’s half-century and Jitesh Sharma and Liam Livingstone’s fireworks to post a formidable total. It looked sufficient at the halfway stage but didn’t turn out to be.
Cameos from Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson gave Royals a flying start but with Devdutt Padikkal struggling, Jaiswal almost singlehandedly steered the chase with his 68 off 41 balls. Royals needed 49 off 34 balls when he got out, and despite Padikkal dragging them down with a 32-ball 31, Shimron Hetmyer took them over the line with an unbeaten 31 off 16 balls.
Earlier, after Samson lost his tenth toss in 11 games, Punjab Kings rode on Jonny Bairstow’s half-century and Jitesh Sharma and Liam Livingstone’s fireworks to post a formidable total. It looked sufficient at the halfway stage but didn’t turn out to be.
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Is there a twist left?
Arshdeep bowls an excellent 19th over, nailing his wide yorkers. The one he failed to, and ended up bowling a high full toss, Padikkal mistimed to Agarwal at short extra cover. He finished the over with a dot ball to Riyan Parag.
Only three came from that over. Royals need eight off the final over. Hetmyer will be on strike.
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Hetmyer, Padikkal take Royals closer
Arshdeep has been the go-to bowler for Kings at the death but with the shorter boundary on the leg side, Shimron Hetmyer drags him for two fours between long-on and deep midwicket. Arshdeep concedes only three off the next three balls but still, it's a 12-run over.
With 27 needed from three overs, Padikkal hits Rabada for two fours while Hetmyer despatches a full toss over deep-backward square leg.
Now it's straightforward task - 11 needed off 12.
Arshdeep gets Jaiswal
After hitting four fours in the next two overs, and Padikkal also joining him with a boundary, Jaiswal had put Royals ahead. But Arshdeep strikes back with Jaiswal's wicket. The batter tried to take on long-on but was taken well inside the boundary line.
Arshdeep rapped Shimron Hetmyer on the pads on the batter's first ball but the on-field umpire gave it not out. With DRS down, Kings couldn't review it.
But with just three runs from that over, Royals now need 47 from last five. Arshdeep will bowl two of those.
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Jaiswal the key for Royals
He gets to his fifty off 33 balls and, with Padikkal on 6 off 11 balls, is now almost single-handedly leading the chase.
Royals 113/2 after 12, needing another 77 from eight overs
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Kings slip in an over from Livingstone
With two left-handers in the middle, Agarwal brings Livingstone on. Bowling around the wicket, he bowls a mix of fast and slow offbreaks and legbreaks, and despite a wide concedes only six.
At the halfway stage, Royals have shaved off half the target.
Royals 95/2 after ten
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Dhawans combine to send Samson back
After conceding just seven off his first over, Rishi Dhawan has got the danger man out. Samson gave him the charge but ended up skying it towards cover-point where Shikhar ran around and took the catch.
Rishi concedes only four singles off the next five balls.
Royals 89/2 after nine, with two left-handers - Jaiswal and Devdutt Padikkal - in the middle
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Samson takes over from Buttler
When Buttler got out, it looked like Kings could breathe easily for a while but Buttler has taken them to the cleaners. With a mix of power, timing and luck, he has hit four fours in just nine balls and moved to 21.
Royals 74 for 1 after seven and very much in the hunt.
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Royals won't mind the 20-run over
...because on the last ball of that over, they sent back Jos Buttler. It started with Buttler launching Rabada miles over deep midwicket. Then came a thrash through covers and an airborne lap-pull for short fine leg. A brace was followed by a drilled four down the ground.
But then came the delivery and the shot that may well prove to be decisive. Buttler tried to lap a full delivery over fine leg but he realised it was a bit too outside off to execute the shot. He ended up opening in the face of the bat in an attempt to help it over short fine leg but didn't get the required elevation. Rajapaksa leapt and took the catch.
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Jaiswal and Samson hit a four each off Sandeep in the next over.
Royals 56/1 after five
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Jaiswal starts with a bang
Back in the side and back to open the innings with Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal starts in an attacking manner. He hits Sandeep Sharma for two fours, both via the cut shot, and a six over deep square leg.
In the next over, Buttler laps Rabada for a four to fine leg.
Royals 20/0 after two
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Kings finish with 189/5
Jitesh refuses a single on the first ball but he knows what he is doing. He smashes the next three balls for 6, 4 and 4. The last two balls produce two singles but Kings have posted a daunting 189 for 5.
Jitesh played a crucial hand in that, finishing unbeaten on 38 off just 18 balls. Our Forecaster is giving Kings a 73% chance of winning.
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Livingstone, Prasidh and mind games
Prasidh's plan A is to bowl wide yorkers from around the wicket. He gets away with the first one, as the umpire doesn't give it a wide. The next one is way too wide and is called too. Livingstone despatches the third one over long-off. After another dot ball, Prasidh moves to over the wicket and bowls one short outside off. Livingstone moves across and laps-slaps it over short fine leg.
Prasidh then moves back to around the wicket and bowls one full and straight. Livingstone has already moved outside off but misses the flicks and the ball hits the off stump.
Rishi Dhawan flicks the last ball of the over, a full toss, for four to make it a 15-run over.
Kings 173/5 after 19
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Jitesh tees off
While many would have expected Livingstone to go after the bowling, he has scored only 12 off the first nine balls. Instead, it's Jitesh Sharma who has taken the lead and smashed 23 off 13 balls with two fours and a six.
Kings 158/4 after 18. Our Forecaster is giving them 181
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Kings against spin
6.83 For a side that is packed with power-hitters throughout, Kings have the lowest scoring rate against spin in IPL 2022. The next worst are Mumbai Indians with 7.59. Royals are at the top with 8.93.
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Chahal dents Kings
With the platform set, it was almost implied that Agarwal went for big hits. After moving to 15 off 12 balls, he tries to take on Yuzvendra Chahal but holes out to long-on.
Jitesh Sharma is the new batter, which is a bit surprising because one would have thought the 15th over was the ideal entry point for Liam Livingstone.
Two balls later, Chahal traps Bairstow lbw. But the batter decides to review it but the ball-tracking shows the ball would have clipped the leg stump, so it's umpire's call. Bairstow walks back for 56 off 40 balls.
Kings 119/4 after 14.4 overs.
PS: Livingstone walks in at No. 6
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Fifty for Bairstow
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Chahal equals Malinga
20 Chahal now has 20 wickets this season. This is the fourth time he has taken 20 or more wickets in an IPL season, says Sampath Bandarupalli. He and Lasith Malinga are the only ones with 20 or more wickets in four different editions of the IPL.
Chahal removes dangerous Rajapaksa
Ashwin bowls two tidy overs, giving away only ten runs for the wicket of Dhawan but Bhanuka Rajapaksa attacks seamers. He launches Sen over long-off for a six before hitting Prasidh for back-to-back fours. At the start of his innings, he had launched Chahal over midwicket for a six. He tries to do that again now, skipping down the ground and going for a big hit but Chahal slips in one from the front of the hand to bowl him.
Rajapaksa falls for 27 off 18 balls but I guess he has done his job. Mayank Agarwal is the new batter.
Kings 93/2 after 11
Highest score of the season for Bairstow
This is now the highest score of the season for Jonny Bairstow. He had previously scored 32 against Lucknow Super Giants. Those two remain his only scores of above 12 in IPL 2022.
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A mixed day for Boult, Ashwin sends back Dhawan
It has been a mixed day for Boult so far. After a ten-run over and a maiden, Bairstow and Dhawan take him for 18, with the help of two fours and a six. The first four was a bit streaky, coming off an inside edge as Bairstow went for the pull. Two balls later, Dhawan connected his to pick up a boundary to deep square leg.
On the last ball of the over, Bairstow despatched him over deep square leg for a six.
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Ashwin, bowling the last over of the powerplay, though sends back Dhawan. Dhawan skipped down the track and tried to chip it over mid-on but Buttler back-pedals, leaps in the air and plucks it with his right hand.
Kings 48/1 after six overs
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Boult comes back with a maiden
Prasidh Krishna concedes only seven in the second over. Boult then bowls a maiden to Shikhar Dhawan, after going for ten in his opening over.
It's not that Dhawan didn't try to score off him. Twice he skipped down the track; on both occasions he failed to make the contact. On two other occasions he went for the cut. Once he under-edged it behind, the other time he got a leading edge towards point, which luckily for him fell short of Shimron Hetmyer.
Kings 17/0 after three
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Bairstow starts with a boundary
Trent Boult finds swing with the new ball but ends up straying on to the pads on a couple of occasions. Jonny Bairstow takes advantage of that and clips him for two fours. Boult adjusts and bowls one in the channel, fetching a bottom edge as Bairstow goes for the cut. Sanju Samson fails to stop it and the batter picks up two more.
Kings 10/0 after one over
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T20 Time Out Live with Vettori and Tahir
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Kings opt to bat, Royals bring in Jaiswal for Nair
Mayank Agarwal wins the toss and Kings will bat first. "It looks like a good wicket but might get a bit slower as the game progresses," he says. "So we want to put a total on the board. It might turn in the second innings. We are playing the same side."
"Nothing new for me," Sanju Samson jokes after losing his tenth toss in 11 games. "We are a balanced side, so we don't mind anything. Karun Nair misses out and Yashasvi Jaiswal comes in."
Ground dimensions
Ian Bishop says in his pitch report that one square boundary is 72 metres while the other is just 61 metres. But even if you look at the absolute numbers, neither side is too big. Bishop also says this Wankhede surface could be a bit two-paced as it has some grassy and some bald patches.
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Royals' bowlers vs Kings' batters
Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Sen, Yuzvendra Chahal and R Ashwin. That's one of the most well-rounded bowling attacks in IPL 2022. There is a left-arm swing bowler, a hit-the-deck seamer, an out-and-out fast bowler, a legspinner and an offspinner with a bag of tricks. They will be up against a batting line-up that started as an intent machine but has mellowed down a bit of late.
Rajasthan Royals are currently third on the points table and Punjab Kings seventh, but only two points separate the two teams. So who will come out on the top? Let's find out.
And those of you in the USA can watch the action live on ESPN+ in English and in Hindi
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