Rajasthan Royals clinch thrilling victory against Kings XI Punjab in a do-or-die match of IPL

Jaipur, May 9: Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Tuesday registered a thrilling victory over Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) by 15 runs at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur in a do-or-die match of VIVO IPL 2018. The result meant RR lifted off from the floor of the table and joined the mid-table race, while KXIP kept their third place, but lost a few decimal points in the net run rate.

 

In the evening, the RR captain Ajinkya Rahane won a crucial toss and had no hesitation in opting to bat. On a surface that looked dry and was expected to offer turn as the match progressed, Jos Buttler set the tone for his team, but there was little else of note from the rest of the batsmen. Buttler raced to 45 in the first six overs, and RR was comfortably placed at 63-1 at the end of the powerplay.

Then the deceleration as Buttler too slowed down, and none of the other batsmen could get a grip on the proceedings. RR scored at just about a run-a-ball in the middle overs and lost their way in the final five – adding 38 runs for the loss of five wickets. Buttler’s 82 would be the top-score of the innings and his 53-run partnership with Sanju Samson for the third wicket would be the biggest of the match. RR finished their twenty overs at 158-8.

For Kings XI Punjab, KL Rahul waged a lone battle as he carried on from his unbeaten 84 in the previous meeting, this time improving on that and posting his highest score in the IPL. But even his unbeaten 95 wasn’t sufficient to take his team to a win. Just how dismal KXIP’s batting was can be established from the fact that the second-best score in their innings was Marcus Stoinis’ 11.