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Live Report - RR vs PBKS - Curran, bowlers confine RR to fourth successive loss
By Himanshu AgrawalPBKS beat RR!
A few paras to sum up the day:
Form is a fickle thing in T20s. After Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Rajasthan Royals (RR) became the second team to prove that in this IPL. RR have now lost four in a row after winning as many on the bounce to hurt their chances of a top-two finish.
The latest loss came in Guwahati, where Sam Curran and the rest of the Punjab Kings (PBKS) bowlers combined to first restrict RR to 144. Then Curran, who had got 2 for 31 with the ball, led PBKS’ charge with the bat to hit 63*, and complete the chase with seven balls and five wickets to spare. That, despite arriving at No. 5 and then seeing PBKS slip to 48 for 4 after eight overs.
Curran’s heroics spoiled local boy Riyan Parag’s day, who scored 48, exactly one-third of RR’s total.
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Impact Sub Ashutosh
PBKS brought in Ashutosh Sharma to replace Arshdeep Singh when Jitesh Sharma fell in the 16th over. Ashutosh ends the 17th over by ramping a slower bouncer off Avesh Khan over a frustrated Sanju Samson's head, and getting the equation down to 25 required from 18 balls. PBKS 120 for 5 after 17 overs.
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Ashwin keeps it tight
The RR spinner has varied pace, and even used a diagonal run-up to try and keep the PBKS batters in check. His first three overs have gone for just 17, with six runs coming off one ball. Heading into this game, Ashwin had kept Jitesh Sharma to a strike rate of 71 in T20s.
However, Ashwin had never bowled to Curran in the format before. But all he has given away are 11 runs from as many deliveries to the PBKS captain.
PBKS 81 for 4 after 13, with Jitesh and Curran key. And suddenly, it is PBKS who are up on our meter, with a 53.49% chance.
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Regular wickets puncture PBKS
29 Balls PBKS went without a boundary. After Rossouw hit a four to end the fourth over, Jitesh Sharma clubs Ashwin for a six over midwicket in the ninth over.
PBKS are 55 for 4 after nine. The latest blow is that of Bairstow, who sees Chahal toss one up in the eighth over, and heaves across the line. Ferreira at deep midwicket gets to the ball, but still parries it back to Parag. But, but... our forecaster gives RR only a 51.54% chance from here, so that is a hint that PBKS are still in it.
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Avesh turns the screw
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Rossouw countered after an early wicket, rushing his way to 22 from his first 12 balls. Twenty of those runs came from boundaries. RR brought on Avesh to bowl the fifth over. Avesh angled one across the left-hander, and went full and wide. Rossouw went driving away from his body, only for the ball to slice to point.
Two balls after, Avesh fires one at 141kph to Shashank Singh, who plays around a straightish ball angled into him, and is trapped lbw. PBKS 37 for 3 after five overs.
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Boult's first (over) love
28 Number of wickets Trent Boult has in the first over across all IPLs. That is the most by any bowler.
This time it is Prabhsimran Singh who is hunted down. Boult finds some swing to start the first over, and produces a leading edge second ball. Then he bangs the fourth one short and cramps Prabhsimran for room, with the batter top-edging a pull. Yuzi Chahal, placed at short third, turns around and grabs a skier. PBKS 6 for 1 after one over.
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RR stopped at 144
Parag top-scores for RR with 48. The next highest is Ashwin's 28, which included three fours and a six. The last four overs yield 31, which is quite high given how much RR struggled throughout. Twelve of those 31 runs came from Trent Boult, who hit two boundaries.
All three of Harshal, Chahar and Curran take two wickets each for PBKS.
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Pinpoint Harshal
13.53 Only three bowlers have bowled at least 90 balls in the death overs this season. One of them is Harshal Patel, and that number is his average during that phase.
Harshal is asked to bowl the 17th over, and he answers his captain's call. His trademark low, dipping full toss is used to keep the batters in check. But Harshal has Rillee Rossouw to thank for the wicket of Ferreira. Placed at long-off, Rossouw moves 26 meters to left while tip-toeing on the edge of the rope. All this while, he has his eyes on the ball, before finally nabbing it. RR 130 for 7 after 18.
Meanwhile, I sat with my colleague Shashank to interview Harshal last week. The chat, of course, didn't go by without Harshal discussing about this specialty of executing the variations. Harshal now has 21 wickets this season, and holds the Purple Cap.
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Local boy Parag key
RR 113 for 6 after 16 overs. Parag, who too is past 500 runs this season, is on 34 off 23 balls. He enjoyed his share of luck in the over just gone by, edging one past a diving Bairstow off Ellis, with the ball running away for four. ESPNcricinfo's forecaster gives RR 154 from here.
Meanwhile, they had brought in Donovan Ferreira as Impact Sub when Chahar dismissed Rovman Powell in the 15th over.
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How much can RR get?
166 The score which our forecaster gives RR at the end of the innings.
So the estimate is that with Parag and Powell at the crease, they could smash 65 in the final six overs. That will be a great number, given they are 101 for 5 after 14.
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Ashwin pumps it up
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This is how the last three balls of the 12th over went:
Chahar gives the ball some loop, but Ashwin makes room and heaves him over midwicket for six.
Next ball, Ashwin switches over for the reverse sweep, and swings Chahar over point.
Then Ashwin backs away again, and goes inside out over cover to make it 17 off the over. RR 85 for 3 after 12, as Ashwin leads the rebuild.
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PBKS build pressure
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Three overs, ten dots, nine runs and two wickets.
Kohler-Cadmore began the final over of the powerplay by drilling Harshal Patel for four down the ground. Then Harshal pressed the brake. Five dots followed, as the PBKS seamer brought out his offcutters and change-ups.
Next over, PBKS introduced Nathan Ellis, who had Samson hopping and chopping to point.
Another bowling change come the eighth over brought PBKS further success. Chahar tossed one up at Kohler-Cadmore, who went slogging, only to find long-on. Two balls later, Chahar beat Ashwin with a classical delivery: one drifting in and moving away barely, even as Ashwin looked to turn it to the leg side. RR 43 for 3 after eight.
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Samson past 500
The best way to celebrate your first call-up for a World Cup to the national side.
This is the RR captain's best IPL season ever, and the first time he has topped 500 in a single edition. Samson entered this game with 486 runs, and by the time the fourth over ends, he is on 16 with three boundaries. The third of those is the most notable: he presents the full face of the bat to punch Arshdeep Singh to deep point, having pulled a boundary to deep-square leg earlier in the over. RR 34 for 1 after four overs.
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Jaiswal vs Curran
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It lasts only four balls.
Yashasvi Jaiswal is RR's fourth-highest run-getter this season. He faces Curran first ball this evening, having smashed him for 42 off 27 balls in T20s - a strike rate of 155, with no dismissal.
That first ball tonight races through the covers for four. Then the third hoops into Jaiswal, who pushes to mid-on. Next delivery, Curran swings it back in nicely again, and has Jaiswal bottom-edging for 4. RR 4 for 1 after four balls. Curran takes off towards England Punjab.
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Team news
RR bat first at the Baraspara Stadium in Guwahati, which Sanju Samson calls their "second home". RR bring in Tom Kohler-Cadmore to replace Buttler. Sam Curran, meanwhile, looks to "spoil" others' campaign. PBKS play Nathan Ellis first time this season... before Curran loses count of the number of changes to his side.
RR: Jaiswal, Kohler-Cadmore, Samson, Parag, Jurel, Powell, Ashwin, Boult, Sandeep, Avesh and Chahal. Impact Subs: Kotian, Maharaj, Burger, Sen and Ferreira
PBKS: Prabhsimran, Bairstow, Rossouw, Shashank, Jitesh, Curran, Brar, Harshal, Ellis, Chahar and Arshdeep. Impact Subs: Ashutosh, Kaverappa, Thyagarajan, Rishi Dhawan and Bhatia
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England bound...
No breather available for both players and fans. With the T20 World Cup sticking its neck out already - it begins just six days after the IPL final - several England players have departed from India. That hurts RR because they will be without Jos Buttler.
And although PBKS are eliminated from the playoffs contest already, they will be missing Liam Livingstone. Him apart, today marks the final appearance for them for Jonny Bairstow and Sam Curran. Meanwhile, even Kagiso Rabada has left PBKS with a soft tissue infection in lower limb.
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Hello!
These days, just getting good marks isn't enough; so much competition means first division is the big thing - just ask those whose board-exam results were revealed only days earlier.
Rajasthan Royals can relate to that. They have already booked their tickets to the final four out of ten sides, but given the concept of the IPL, will be aiming for a top-two finish to give themselves a better chance of making it to the title race. So here's the preview to get up to speed with tonight's game between Royals and Punjab Kings.
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