RR win again!
Here are a few paras to sum up the day:
Over the last four days, the IPL has seen 262 being hunted down with ridiculous ease, and 211 chased down rather comfortably. Additionally, totals of 257 and 225 have almost proved to be short. So Rajasthan Royals being set 197 by Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Stadium hardly seemed challenging at the halfway stage.
But even so, RR were 78 for 3 after 8.4 overs of the chase after being 60 without loss towards the end of the powerplay. Ten overs into the chase, with RR requiring another 116, ESPNcricinfo’s forecaster gave LSG an 87.76% chance of winning. The momentum had all but tilted LSG’s way before Sanju Samson and an out-of-form Dhruv Jurel came to RR’s rescue. Both posted half-centuries and added an unbroken 121 in riposte to KL Rahul and Deepak Hooda’s own fifties and a 115-run stand for LSG, and took RR home with an over to spare.
As a result, RR bagged two more points to consolidate their position at the top of the points table, and have one foot into the playoffs with as many as five games remaining.
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Two lives for Jurel
These were Jurel's scores this IPL after starting with twin knocks of 20: DNB, 2, DNB, 6, 2 and DNB. RR started the 14th over with 82 required from 42 balls, and Jurel attacked Mohsin Khan:
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Scythe to deep point, scoop over the keeper, and smoked through midwicket off the first three balls. Then Jurel sliced to short third, and Thakur dropped him. Sixth ball, Jurel pokes outside off and finds Thakur again. But this time the chance to his left is a bit difficult, and the ball runs off his fingers. RR 135 for 3 after 14. They have a 73% chance from here.
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Samson, Jurel fight back
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Mishra might have struck in his first over, but Dhruv Jurel still chose to skip down the pitch and hoick him for six in the 11th over. Three balls later, Samson bunts the ball past short fine leg in MS Dhoni style. Then Jurel lofts Thakur over extra cover, and Samson drills one wide of long-off.
RR 110 for 3 after 12. The chase is on track.
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LSG on top?
We are halfway into the chase. RR are 81 for 3, after being 50 without loss in five overs. They need another 116 from 60 balls.
87.76 LSG's chances as per our forecaster heading into the final ten overs of the day.
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Amit Mishra in the mix!
LSG offered RR a black-coloured, spin-friendly pitch. They started with Pandya and Bishnoi as their frontline spinners, but have now brought on Amit Mishra as Impact Sub for de Kock.
Parag pulled the third ball for six, but slices the next delivery to deep point. RR 78 for 3 after 8.4 overs, with Parag gone for 14.
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Thakur, Stoinis pull it back
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Yash Thakur angled one into Buttler. The ball was dipping on to a yorker length on leg stump, but Buttler was across the stumps even as he walked down the pitch quite early. But what should have been clipped off a low full toss instead resulted in a wicket, as the ball unplugged the leg stump. Buttler gone for 34 off 18 in the sixth over.
Next over, Marcus Stoinis angled one across to the left-hander Jaiswal. The ball ended on a length, but pretty wide of off. Jaiswal went launching, but found deep point. Jaiswal departs for 24 from 18. At this point, Riyan Parag comes in as Impact Sub for Chahal. RR 60 for 2 at 6.1 overs.
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Jos, Jais jam in powerplay
RR 37 for 0 after four overs. Two sixes have been hit - one each by Buttler and Jaiswal - and each with a specialty of its own. When Jaiswal hoicked Matt Henry across the line off the fourth ball of the chase, a full delivery was sent over mid-on. There was no foot movement, but rather just a clearing of the front foot as if it were instead a length ball.
Then Buttler got into Henry in the third. Out came the scoop for six over short fine leg.
Who wins tonight?
27.68 The percentage of chance which our forecaster gives RR for their chase of 197.
Meanwhile, Jos Buttler walks out to bat despite staying off the field after hurting his finger while fielding. But given it was an external injury, he is allowed to walk out right away. However, if that injury hampers his innings in any way or not remains to be seen.
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LSG end run of 200-plus totals
The last five matches this season produced totals of 210, 224, 206, 261 and 257. But LSG finally break that run to finish on 196. Avesh, Boult and Sandeep allowed only 25 off the last three overs, as Ekana Stadium continues to see sub-200 totals.
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Here come the death overs
Ashwin bowls the first of the remaining four overs, and concedes five wides first ball. The over goes for 15, including a reverse-swept four by Ayush Badoni.
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But Avesh Khan strikes next over, having Rahul caught at deep third for 76 off 48 balls. The next ball is a near yorker to new batter Krunal Pandya, before a misfield by Boult allows Badoni two. Having bowled the fifth ball, Avesh rushes back to his mark, possibly because RR are slow on over rate. It's all happening. LSG 178 for 5 after 18.
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Who will bowl at Pooran?
Pooran picked four runs off as many balls against Chahal tonight. Leading into the game, though, he struck at 170 at an average of 123 against the legspinner. RR will be pleased Chahal's spell ended within 14 overs.
Before today, Pooran's strike rate against Avesh Khan was 154, against Sandeep it was 150, and off Boult it was 172.
But, but... RR will note that Ashwin has kept Pooran quiet in T20s. Three dismissals in 40 balls, and just 35 runs. However, Pooran took Ashwin for five off the three balls he faced from the offspinner, including a boundary.
But oh, I had no intention of jinxing Pooran, though! First ball of the 16th over, Sandeep banged one short and Pooran pulled straight to deep square leg. LSG 150 for 4 at 15.1 overs. Pooran gone for 11.
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Ashwin ends century stand
With Rahul and Hooda having added 115, Samson brought Ashwin back. The offspinner, who had only a solitary wicket this season, went for the carrom ball. Hooda, on 50 and full of confidence, skipped down and lofted, but found long-on to end LSG's highest partnership in their three seasons of IPL.
Rahul, though, is firm on 63 after pinching two off the last ball. The threatening Nicholas Pooran has joined him. LSG after 135 for 3 after 13. Our forecaster gives them 217 from here.
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Hooda honks it for LSG
Another expensive over for RR. Boult leaks 18 in the 11th over, which includes five wides. But Deepak Hooda also smashes two back-to-back boundaries: the first one driven through extra cover, and the next punched to deep backward point.
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Even the ball which went went for wides would have been four, as Hooda attempted to ramp Boult, but the ball was too high. LSG 112 for 2 after 11.
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Up goes LSG's tempo
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Rahul played a pick-up shot for six to attack Avesh Khan in the eighth over. Off the fifth ball, Avesh delivered a high full toss finishing on leg stump, which Rahul deposited over fine leg. Six, and a free hit to Rahul, with the delivery being too high.
The first seven overs produced only 54, but the eighth got LSG 21. They are 75 for 2 after eight. ESPNcricinfo's forecaster gives them 250 208 from here.
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Rahul vs Ashwin
KL Rahul entered this match having got 61 runs off 48 balls against Ashwin across all T20s. The strike rate was a decent 127, but that one-on-one included only one dismissal. In the fifth over, Ashwin's second ball to Rahul produced a leading edge this evening, but the fourth delivery was swiped to fine leg, with Rahul losing his balance and falling over - almost like a mirror image of Rishabh Pant!
RR replace Ashwin with Yuzvendra Chahal to start the seventh over. LSG 46 for 2 after the powerplay.
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Quinton de rocked - again!
6 Number of times Quinton de Kock has fallen to left-arm pace this season.
Trent Boult (twice), and Arshdeep, Mustafizur, Khaleel and Topley have all got him once each.
de Kock averages only 14.16 against left-arm pace this season. In Lucknow tonight, the first ball is edged beyond second slip for four, and the second clipped through deep square leg. But Boult swings the third one back in, and finds the gap between bat and pad to clean de Kock up!
Meanwhile, Sandeep Sharma returns with the new ball, and ends up bowling Marcus Stoinis, LSG's centurion from the previous game. RR on top, as LSG are 11 for 2 after two overs.
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Powerplayers RR
8.08 The rate at which RR's bowlers have given away runs in the powerplay this season - the best among all teams.
RR's average of 27.71 in that period is the second-best, and just so - Gujarat Titans, the leaders, are at 27.11. With that comes another piece of good news for RR: LSG's batting average of 29.07 in the powerplay this year is the lowest among all teams. Bingo!
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Team news
RR will bowl first. But Sanju Samson says that only after there is some confusion regarding who called what! How much we love drama! Samson plays the same team, and is hardly concerned about Ashwin's lack of returns this season. LSG also remain unchanged, says KL Rahul.
Meanwhile, LSG present a black-clay pitch, as per Matthew Hayden. Ummmm, spin to win?!
LSG: KL Rahul (capt, wk), Quinton de Kock, Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, Matt Henry, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohsin Khan and Yash Thakur. Impact Subs: Mishra, Kulkarni, Gowtham, Siddharth and Yudhvir
RR: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler Sanju Samson (capt, wk), Rovman Powell, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, R Ashwin, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Sandeep Sharma and Yuzvendra Chahal. Impact Subs: Parag, Kohler-Cadmore, Dubey, Saini and Kotian
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Spotlight on Ashwin
At the start of the season, RR were deemed to have the most potent spin attack this season - Ashwin, Chahal and Zampa. But Zampa pulled out, even as RR brought in Keshav Maharaj to actually replace Prasidh Krishna. But RR's spinners have averaged 32.76 this season - the third lowest - and have struck 17 times.
But only one of those wickets has gone to R Ashwin, who has bowled 27 overs. His average reads an astronomical 240. But if LSG serve up a spin-friendly pitch, could Ashwin utilise it in his favour too?
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Nawabs vs Royals
Two princely states gather. The Royals from Rajasthan are in the Nawabs' Super Giants' home of Lucknow. Royals are leading the charge this IPL - they have seven wins out of eight in a table-topping effort - while LSG are four points and three places behind.
LSG and RR have faced each other three times. But interestingly, none of those meetings happened in Lucknow. So today it's all about what the Nawabs serve their visitors with - black soil, or red?
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