As it happened: IPL 2022, Rajasthan Royals vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, Pune

A thumping victory for Rajasthan Royals. They batted with intent, hitting 13 sixes during their innings, to post a daunting 210. Sunrisers had never chased that many and it stayed like that as Prasidh Krishna and Trent Boult reduced them to 9 for 3. The incoming batters couldn't revive the chase and the contest was over long before the match was. Yuzvendra Chahal picked up 3 for 22, Prasidh 2 for 16 and Boult 2 for 23. Aiden Markram stayed unbeaten on 57 off 41, while Washington Sundar struck 40 off 14. However, that just reduced the margin of defeat and salvaged some NRR points.

That's all from our side for tonight. See you soon.

If anything could have taken the shine off Royals' performance, it was this: Nathan Coulter-Nile walking off of the field after tumbling in his follow-through. He was holding his leg and looking in slight discomfort. Riyan Parag to finish the 20th over.

When he came on to bowl, Royals were already on top. The asking rate was touching the sky, which means batters had to attack him. Abhishek Sharma gave him the charge only to be caught at long-on. Abdul Samad tried to do the same but got it from the toe end of the bat and was taken at long-on as well. Then Chahal slipped one in fast to Romario Shepherd, who moved across to sweep and was bowled around his legs. He finished with figures of 4-0-22-3. For Sunrisers, the only silver lining, if you can call that, is they will lose by a margin of less than 100.

Sunrisers would have hoped for a blazing start from Abhishek Sharma but he never really got going. In an attempt to take on Yuzvendra Chahal, he holed out to long-on for a laboured 9 off 19 balls. To win from here, Sunrisers need a miracle or two. Sunrisers 36 for 4 after ten.

So far, the pitch has helped seamers and there are few better than Trent Boult in the world to take advantage of seaming conditions. He troubled Williamson in the opening over and now has trapped Nicholas Pooran lbw. It was fuller delivery that pitched in the line of the stumps and straightened. Pooran tried to flick it but missed and was struck right in front. That leaves Sunrisers wobbling at 9 for 3.

And this time there is no doubt. He pitches it just short of length in the channel, Rahul Tripathi follows it with his hands and gets an outside edge. A regulation catch for Samson this time, and Sunrisers are 7 for 2 in the fourth over. And the Roayls haven't bowled a single no-ball so far.

A length ball outside off, Williamson tried to fend at it and got an outside edge. Sanju Samson dived to his right, got his glove to it but it popped out. Devddut Padikkal at first slip dived forward and pouched it. But did he take it on the bounce? Williamson thought so. The umpires had a chat before sending it upstairs. It looked as if it bounced just in front but the third umpire is convinced it was a clean catch. Sunrisers lose their captain early in a tall chase.

Shiva Jayaraman: This Rajasthan Royals innings was very West Indian in its style (at least in terms of numbers): don’t worry about the dots, just hit enough boundaries to make sure you compensate for them. Royals’ batters batted out 52 dots in this innings – that’s nearly nine overs of no scoring at all. However, they made sure that 30 of their 72 scoring shots in the innings were boundaries (including 14 sixes) and posted a daunting 210. Royal’s dot percentage of 41.9 in this innings is the joint fourth-highest ever in the IPL out of 118 totals of 200 or more runs.

If you're in the USA, you can watch the game live on ESPN+.

Thanks to the Shimron Hetmeyer cameo in the end - 33 off 13 - Rajasthan royals end up with 210. We know the big advantage chasing sides have in this format but this pitch has something for the new ball if you get it right. SRH just didn't get it right enough and travelled. Also, SRH's batting is not their strongest suit. So that raises the possibility of the first successful defence this season. We will know soon enough.

A fresh pitch, the ball coming on, and Sanju Samson has unleashed a beating on all-comers. Five sixes, three fours, 55 runs in 27 balls. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, though, comes back to dislodge him with a short ball that cramps him up. Samson looks for another pulled six down the ground but ends up hitting it to long-on. RR 163 for 4 in 16.1 overs.

21, 3 (and a wicket), 5, 10 (and a wicket).

That's how Umran Malik's four overs went. That is what happens when you have the pace he has. When he gets it right, he gets Jos Buttler and Devdutt Padikkal out on defence. When he gets it wrong, it travels. RR 148 for 3 in 15 overs.

Samson has faced 17 balls, and has hit three pulled sixes: one over long-off, one over long-on and one over fine leg. The fine leg one can't be deliberate but he has consciously pulled spinners down the ground for the other two sixes. He is 36 now. RR 101 for 2 in 11 overs.

After a 21-run first over, Umran Malik comes back with a quick delivery at an uncomfortable length to trap Buttler on the crease and takes the outside edge through to Nicholas Pooran. That's bowled at 148ks.

However, Sanju Samson has got off to a great start, using the short straight boundary to hit a six and the big square boundaries to pick up twos. Next in Devdutt Padikkal after he made name as an opener for RCB.

Finally someone bowling from within the crease and getting a wicket. Romario Shepherd cramps Yash Jaiswal up on the pull and has him caught in the deep. Still this is a start that has the potential to counter the toss advantage of SRH. RR 58 for 1 in 6.1 overs.

Even offspinner Washington Sundar bowls a no-ball, the fourth SRH have bowled in five overs, and then travels for two sixes, one each by Jaiswal and Buttler. AS Shiva Jayaraman is quick to point out, at the moment this the joint-highest no-balls bowled in the Powerplay in the IPL. Farveez Maharoof bowled four of them in this match against KXIP in 2009. SRH 52 for 0 in five overs.

Now Umran Malik draws an edge from Buttler, but he has overstepped too. And on this occasion the ball has burst through the hands of Samad anyway. Three no-balls in 3.2 overs, and RR are 28 for 0 on a pitch that is zipping around.

... but oversteps himself.

As suspected there is movement on this fresh green Pune surface. Bhuvneshar Kumar sets Jos Buttler up expertly. Three outswingers followed by an inswinger, and on ball five, Buttler doesn;t know what to do. He plays for the inswinger, but it is the outswinger, and Abdul Samad takes a superb catch at first slip with the keeper diving in front of him. However, the celebrations are short-lived. This is a no-ball.

After four wins out of four for chasing sides, Sunrisers Hyderabad have decided to chase in the fifth. However, Pune being a stadium with low stands could mean that dew doesn't affect the game as significantly as it has done the others. That's exactly what Rajasthan Royals will hope for. Do remember, though, that a fresh Pune pitch can seam around as it did in this match. T Natarajan is back, which is great news.

Rajasthan Royals 1 Jos Buttler, 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Devdutt Padikkal, 4 Sanju Samson(capt. & wk), 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Riyan Parag, 7 Ravichandran Ashwin, 8 Nathan Coulter-nile, 9 Prasidh Krishna, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal

Sunrisers Hyderabad 1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Rahul Tripathi, 3 Kane Williamson(capt.), 4 Nicholas Pooran(wk), 5 Aiden Markram, 6 Abdul Samad, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Romario Shepherd, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 T Natarajan, 11 Umran Malik