Riyan Parag had a day to remember with a superb half century followed by four catches as Rajasthan Royals went top of the table with a 29-run win in their Indian Premier League match against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Pune on Tuesday.
Despite captain Sanju Samson’s wretched luck at the toss continuing, RR managed to win the match while defending the total with R Ashwin starring with three wickets and the pacers doing the damager around him. RR seem to thrive batting as they posted 144/8 from a precarious situation thanks to one brilliant knock. Parag top-scored for the Royals with 56 not out off 31 balls while captain Sanju Samson contributed 27.
For RCB, Mohammed Siraj, Josh Hazlewood and Wanindu Hasaranga took two wickets apiece while Harshal Patel got one. The Bangalore outfit also paid the price for a dropped catch off Parag towards the end and he made them pay with an explosive finish.
While 145 seemed chaseable, even on a pitch that offered decent assistance for bowlers, RCB’s chase never really got going. With Virat Kohli promoted up the order to open the batting, RCB would have hoped for a better start but after somehow surviving the opening over from Trent Boult, the former India and RCB captain was dismissed by Prasidh Krishna in the second over. Once again, he had a wry smile on his face as he walked back to the pavilion for a low score.
Kuldeep Sen, back into the match after an apparent injury during training, then produced a superb over where he dismissed RCB captain Faf du Plessis and star batter Glenn Maxwell off back-to-back deliveries. The pacer finished with four wickets.
The chase never recovered from those early jolts as RCB’s batting struggled for the second straight match. With Dinesh Karthik getting run out in bizarre fashion, their hopes further faded.
Points table after match No 39
| Team | Pld | Won | Lost | Net RR | Pts | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RR | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0.561 | 12 | WWWLW |
| GT | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0.396 | 12 | WWWLW |
| SRH | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0.691 | 10 | WWWWW |
| LSG | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0.334 | 10 | WLWLW |
| RCB | 9 | 5 | 4 | -0.572 | 10 | LLWWL |
| PBKS | 8 | 4 | 4 | -0.419 | 8 | WLLWL |
| DC | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0.715 | 6 | LWLWL |
| KKR | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0.080 | 6 | LLLLW |
| CSK | 8 | 2 | 6 | -0.538 | 4 | LWLWL |
| MI | 8 | 0 | 8 | -1.000 | 0 | LLLLL |
Brief scores:
RR: 144/8 in 20 overs (Riyan Parag 56 not out Sanju Samson 27; Josh Hazlewood 2/19, Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva 2/23, Mohammed Siraj 2/30).
RCB: 115 all out in 19.3 overs (Faf du Plessis 23; Kuldeep Sen 4/20, Ravichandran Ashwin 3/17).
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!