Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) squared off in the eighth match of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL 2023) at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on April 5.
The contest proved to be a thrilling one, with PBKS eking out a narrow five-run win at the end to climb to second place in the points table. After being asked to bat first, Punjab registered an impressive total of 197.
Skipper Shikhar Dhawan starred with the bat, remaining unbeaten on 86. Opening batter Prabhsimran Singh also chipped in with a valuable contribution, mustering 60 runs off 30 balls.
RR’s run chase started on a shaky note as they lost three early wickets. Captain Sanju Samson steered the ship out of the choppy waters with a 42-run knock.
Shimron Hetmyer and Dhruv Jurel gave the Royals a glimmer of hope with a scintillating 61-run partnership from just 26 deliveries for the seventh wicket. However, Sam Curran showcased great composure, successfully defending 16 runs in the last over to seal the game for PBKS.
Here, we take a look at the top three moments from the RR vs PBKS match that created a lot of buzz among the fans.
#1 Prabhsimran Singh’s fabulous six off Trent Boult’s bowling
PBKS opener Prabhsimran Singh showcased positive intent right from the start, scoring runs at a frantic pace to get his team off to a flying start.
While he played some delightful strokes during his entertaining innings, his six down the ground off Trent Boult’s bowling left many fans in awe.
In the ninth over of the PBKS innings, Boult banged one short, hoping to rattle Prabhsimran. However, the youngster countered it with a stunning flat-batted six over the pacer’s head to stamp his authority.
#2 Ravichandran Ashwin warns Shikhar Dhawan at the non-striker’s end
RR spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has been a big advocate of running out batsmen at the non-striker’s end who are backing up too far. He has also been vocal about the same. He became the first-ever bowler to run out a batter in this manner during the 2019 edition after dismissing Jos Buttler through this method.
Interestingly, he pulled out of his bowling action during RR’s clash against PBKS after seeing Shikhar Dhawan backing up before the ball was released. The incident took place in the seventh over of the innings.
Ashwin opted not to run Dhawan out and just warned the left-handed batter to stay in the crease. Notably, the cameraman instantly moved the camera to capture Buttler’s reaction. The English keeper-batsman is now Ashwin’s teammate.
#3 Ravichandran Ashwin opening the batting for RR instead of Jos Buttler
The Rajasthan team management backed Ravichandran Ashwin to open with Yashasvi Jaiswal ahead of regular opener Jos Buttler, The English batsman seemed to have hurt his finger while taking a catch in the final over of PBKS’ innings.
However, the experiment failed as Ashwin could only manage a four-ball duck. Several fans questioned RR’s tactics, opining that they should have promoted the likes of Devdutt Padikkal or Riyan Parag if they didn’t want to send Buttler at the top.
Ashwin perished against Arshdeep Singh’s short-pitched delivery in the fourth over of the run chase. He tried to go for the big shot, but ended up chipping it to Shikhar Dhawan at mid-on.
Edited by Akshay Saraswat