IPL 2024: Rajasthan Royals seal spot in Qualifier 2; knock RCB out
IPL 2024: Rajasthan Royals broke their four-match losing streak in the Indian Premier League with a crucial 4-wicket victory over Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Eliminator on Wednesday, securing their spot in Qualifier 2.
The game at Narendra Modi Stadium was a roller-coaster, with momentum shifting back and forth, keeping fans on the edge of their seats.
At one point, it seemed the chants of "ee sala cup namde" would continue to echo for RCB. However, Powell's composure dashed those hopes, as RCB's quest for their maiden IPL title ended in disappointment once again.
The Royals had a fair share of nervy moments while chasing 173, after the dismissal of opener Yashasvi Jaiswal.
RR began the chase with the opening pair of Jaiswal and Tom Kohler-Cadmore taking a mixed approach in the powerplay. They were watchful of the threatening deliveries but punished the ones that landed in the hitting zone.
Jaiswal and captain Sanju Samson formed a brief but effective 35-run partnership to keep the Rajasthan Royals on course. Cameron Green broke the stand by catching Jaiswal behind the stumps off Dinesh Karthik's glove, which triggered a collapse with Samson returning to the dugout just five balls later. Samson misjudged a floated delivery from Karn Sharma, getting stumped for 17.
Dhruv Jurel was run out by Virat Kohli's brilliant fielding, causing RR's chase to falter. Shimron Hetmyer and Riyan Parag attempted to stabilize the innings, but Siraj dismissed Parag and Hetmyer in the same over, raising hopes for an RCB comeback. However, they had already navigated the tricky part of the chase, setting the stage for Rovman Powell, who hit two boundaries and a six in the penultimate over to secure a 4-wicket win for Rajasthan. This ended Bengaluru's streak of six consecutive wins.
Earlier, Ravichandran Ashwin took 2-19 while Avesh Khan claimed 3-44, including the key wickets of Rajat Patidar, Mahipal Lomror, and Dinesh Karthik. For RCB, Lomror scored a crucial 32, Virat Kohli hit 33, and Patidar added 34 off 22 balls.
Choosing to bowl first, RR's Trent Boult began with a tight two-run over, keeping Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli under control. Boult’s pressure paid off when he dismissed du Plessis for 17 in the fifth over. Kohli became the first batter to reach 8000 IPL runs but was dismissed by Yuzvendra Chahal in the eighth over, caught by Donovan Ferreira.
Cameron Green accelerated in the 10th over, hitting Chahal for a six and a four. However, Ashwin's spin magic in the 13th over saw Green and Glenn Maxwell out in consecutive balls. Avesh Khan later dismissed Patidar and Karthik in quick succession, with Karthik surviving a review. Chahal finished with 1/43 after a tight spell, while Avesh wrapped up Lomror's innings in the final over, leaving RCB with a competitive total of 172/8.
Their mixed-bag approach helped them put 46 runs on the board before Tom (20) lost his wicket in the final over of the powerplay.
Brief score: Royal Challengers Bengaluru 172/8 (Mahipal Lomror 32, Virat Kohli 33; Avesh Khan 3-44) vs Rajasthan Royals 174/6 (Yashasvi Jaiswal 45, Riyan Parag 36; Mohammed Siraj 2-33).
- With inputs from agencies
