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Wed, 15 May 2024
IPL Updates: Curran's all-round show lifts Punjab to win
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23:16 Curran's all-round show lifts Punjab to win
Punjab 145-5 (18.5 ovs) vs Royals 144-9 | Scorecard
Avesh to bowl the penultimate over. Ashutosh swings hard but miscues the ball on the off-side for a single before Curran pulls the next over midwicket for a six to take Punjab close.
Curran hits a full toss down to long-on for a single before Ashutosh lofts the length ball from Avesh over long-on for a six.
Avesh tries the bouncer as Ashutosh pulls it to fine leg for a single to take Punjab Kings to victory.
Curran finishes unbeaten on a fine innings of 63 from 41 balls, having hit three sixes and five fours, while Ashutosh played a cameo of 17 not out from 11 balls.
Punjab Kings cruise to 145/5 in 18.5 overs to win by five wickets with seven balls to spare.
Though they have qualified for the play-offs, Rajasthan Royals' woes continue to mount as they suffer their fourth defeat in a row.
23:10 Punjab Kings need 15 from 2 overs
Punjab 130-5 (18 ovs) vs Royals 144-9 | Scorecard
Sandeep comes back into the attack. Singles from the first two balls before Curran hits the third ball on the bounce towards long-on for a single to bring up his fifty from 38 balls.
A good slower ball from Sandeep right up to Ashutosh, who can only block it on the leg side.
Another yorker follows as Ashutosh drives it to long-off for just a single.
Four runs from five balls before Curran makes up for it as he pulls the last ball for a six over midwicket, to get 10 runs from the over.
That brings the equation down to 15 from the last two overs.
23:06 Punjab Kings need 25 from 3 overs
Punjab 120-5 (17 ovs) vs Royals 144-9 | Scorecard
Avesh is back into the attack. Ashutosh takes a risky single from the first ball as Curran is lucky that Jaiswal at point misses the direct hit.
Three singles from the next four balls before Ashutosh releases some pressure as he ramps the slower short ball from Avesh over the wicketkeeper for a boundary.
He had to wait for that ball to arrive but managed to time the ramp shot to perfection to get it comfortably over the wicketkeeper.
Punjab need 25 from 3 overs
23:03 Punjab Kings need 33 from 4 overs
Punjab 112-5 (16 ovs) vs Royals 144-9 | Scorecard
Chahal, who has one over in hand, is back into the attack. Curran flicks the first ball through midwicket for two runs followed by a wide down the leg side.
Some width from Chahal as Curran slams it through the covers for a boundary followed by a single.
Chahal breaks the partnership as Jitesh comes down the track to loft the leg-spinner but can only hole out to Parag at long-on.
Jitesh walks back after scoring 22 from 20 balls, after putting on 63 runs for the fifth wicket with Curran.
As expected, Ashutosh Sharma comes in as the Impact Player. He takes a single from the last ball of the over.
Wonderful bowling from Chahal as he finishes with good figures of 2/31 from his four overs.
Punjab need 33 from 4 overs.
22:51 Curran, Jitesh take Punjab past 100
Punjab 103-4 (15 ovs) vs Royals 144-9 | Scorecard
Captain Curran playing a fine hand with the bat. He smashes the full wide delivery from Ashwin in the gap through the covers for a four.
But Ashwin does well to bowl three dots in a row to the left-hander to push the asking rate above nine.
Curran keeps strike with one from the last ball as Ashwin concedes five runs in his third over.
Royals desperate to break this partnership as Samson brings back Boult. The first ball is on the pads as Curran glances it fine for a four to take his score to 30.
Ashwin comes under attack as Jitesh slog sweeps the spinner high over midwicket for a six.
Two balls later, Curran comes down and gets to the pitch to launch Ashwin over extra cover for another six to take Punjab past the 100-run mark, in the 15th over.
14 runs from the Ashwin over, who finishes wicketless while conceding 31 runs from his four overs.
Punjab are 103/4 in 15 overs, needing another 42 from five overs for victory.
Curran has stroked 39 from 30 balls, while Jitesh has made 22 from 19 balls with the duo putting on 55 from 42 balls for the fifth wicket.
22:39 Curran, Jitesh revive Punjab Kings
Punjab 76-4 (12 ovs) vs Royals 144-9 | Scorecard
Curran brings out the sweep to hit Chahal behind square on the leg side for a four and then takes one to long-on.
Four singles from the rest of the over as Punjab struggle to 63/4 in 10 overs at the halfway mark.
They still have some batting to follow but will need a steady partnership in the next 4-5 overs to lay the foundation for the attacking batters in the death overs.
Avesh, who took two wickets in his opening over, is back into the attack. He makes a tidy start, with four dot balls in a row to Jitesh, who slashes the fifth ball past point for two runs.
He picks a single from the last ball as Avesh gives away just three runs in his second over.
Curran releases some pressure. He uses his feet to flick Chahal uppishly in the gap over midwicket for a boundary before he clips the next in the gap on the leg side for two runs.
A single off the last ball makes it 10 runs from Chahal's third over.
22:25 Chahal strikes; Punjab Kings in trouble
Punjab 55-4 (9 ovs) vs Royals 144-9 | Scorecard
Spin introduced as Ravichandran Ashwin comes into the attack. He makes a tidy start, giving away five singles in his first over.
Spin from both ends as Yuzvendra Chahal comes into the attack from the other end.
Royals' hopes will rest big time on their spin twins, whose showing in the middle overs could go a long way in deciding the outcome.
Chahal cripples Punjab further with the key wicket of Bairstow. After scoring a slow 14 from 22 balls, Bairstow looks to break free. He attempts to slog sweep Chahal but holes out to Ferreira at deep midwicket. Infact, Ferreira takes the catch quite comfortably but ends up relaying the ball to Parag even though it was not needed.
Punjab slip to 48/4 in eight overs.
In the next over, Jitesh Sharma, who has struggled for runs in IPL 2024, shows intent right away as he pulls the short ball from Ashwin over midwicket for six to take Punjab past the 50-run mark, in the ninth over.
22:15 Avesh's double strike rocks Punjab
Punjab 39-3 (6 ovs) vs Royals 144-9 | Scorecard
Sandeep to bowl his second over. He starts with two dots to Bairstow, who then inside edges the full toss for a single off the third.
Rossouw severe on anything severe as he clubs the pacer through midwicket for a four and clips the last ball uppishly over square leg for another boundary.
Pacer Avesh Khan replaces Boult, who bowled two overs in the Powerplay.
He strikes with the third ball of his first over. Rossouw, who was looking good on 22 from 13 balls, slices the wide full delivery straight to Jaiswal at point.
Avesh strikes a couple of balls later as he traps Shashank Singh leg before wicket for a duck. The right-hander is beaten for pace by the full delivery as he misses the flick.
Royals back in the hunt as Punjab are reduced to 36/3 in the fifth over.
Superb start from Avesh as he takes two wickets and concedes just two runs in his first over.
Sandeep follows it up with a tight over, giving away just two singles including three dots in a row to Bairstow.
Punjab Kings struggle to 39/3 in six overs with Bairstow on nine and Curran on two. Interestingly, Royals were 38/1 in the Powerplay.
They need another 106 from 14 overs for victory.
21:55 Bairstow, Rossouw rally Punjab Kings
Punjab 26-1 (3 ovs) vs Royals 144-9 | Scorecard
Sandeep Sharma from the other end. Bairstow watchfully defends the first ball before he clips the next off his pads for a single.
Rossouw looks to heave the pacer over the leg side but gets it off the inside half of the bat for two runs through midwicket.
The left-hander hammers the fifth ball powerfully past the fielder in the covers for a boundary and keeps out the last ball.
Boult continues from the other end. Bairstow gets his first boundary as he lofts the pacer over the fielder at mid-on for a four and takes a single next ball.
Boult goes short as Rossouw pulls it through midwicket for a four and uses his feet to swing the next ball over the leg side for another boundary but is beaten last ball trying to cut.
13 runs from the over as Punjab bounce back after an early wicket.
21:45 Boult strikes; Punjab lose early wicket
Punjab 6-1 (1 ov) vs Royals 144-9 | Scorecard
Jonny Bairstow walks out to open the batting with Prabhsimran Singh, while the experienced Trent Boult will open the bowling for Royals, who need a few early wickets to get back into the contest.
Prabhsimran defends the first ball before he gets an outside edge off the next as Boult gets some away swing with the batter getting two runs to thirdman.
Boult strikes early blow as Prabhsimran (6) top edges the pull shot and Chahal takes a superb catch running back on the off-side.
Rilee Rossouw is beaten last ball as he throws his bat at the length ball which swings away to go past the edge.
21:25 Punjab's bowlers restrict Royals to 144
Royals 144-9 (20 ovs) vs Punjab | Scorecard
Harshal to bowl the final over with Parag on strike.
The first ball is a slower ball right in the slot, full and on the stumps, as Parag swings hard but misses the ball ends up.
The next ball is a full toss as Parag again swings and misses but this time he is ruled out leg before wicket. He takes the review but to no avail as the decision stands.
Parag walks back after a good innings of 48 from 34 balls to help Royals save the blushes.
Avesh Khan clips the third ball through square leg for a couple of runs to get off the mark and then takes one.
Boult miscues the heave as the ball goes uppishly towards midwicket where Harpreet rushing in from the deep is unable to get to the ball, as the Royals get two runs.
He is run out off the final ball as he is caught short while going for the second run.
Just six runs from the final over as Royals finish on a disappointing 144/9 in their 20 overs.
Harshal did exceedingly well with the ball, to claim good figures of 2/28 in his four overs.
Royals couldn't get any sort of acceleration throughout their 20 overs. They managed just 41 runs from the last five overs, losing three wickets.
21:16 Harshal strikes; Royals lose 7th wicket
Royals 138-7 (19 ovs) vs Punjab | Scorecard
Ellis to bowl the 19th over. The first ball is full and swings in as Boult misses the flick and is struck on the pads but the leg before shout is turned down. Punjab don't take the review as the ball looked to be going down.
The next ball is a well-disguised slower ball as Boult is too early into the shot and misses the ball ends up.
The third ball is a full toss as Boult does well to steer it fine on the off-side. Harpreet Brar at thirdman dives quite early and is unable to get to the ball which goes through for a boundary.
Ellis bowls a cracking yorker which nearly accounts for Boult, who swings hard and gets the inside edge with the ball going fine on the leg side for a four.
Boult is beaten again by the slower ball before he hits a full toss to long-on and doesn't take the single off the last ball to give Parag the strike for the next over.
Eight runs from the 19th over as Ellis registers tidy figures of 1/24 in four overs.
21:11 Harshal strikes; Royals lose 7th wicket
Royals 130-7 (18 ovs) vs Punjab | Scorecard
Harshal back into the attack, to bowl the 18th over. Parag gets a single from the first ball to long-on and Ferreira gets two runs off the next to deep square leg.
Impact Player Ferreira's struggling knock of seven from eight balls comes to an end. He looks to hit Harshal over the off-side but fails to time the lofted shot. Rilee Rossouw rushing to his left at long-off takes a good running catch just inches inside the boundary cushion.
Trent Boult gets off the mark with a single and Parag clips the fifth ball for two runs with soft hands in the gap at midwicket followed by two more runs past point.
21:07 RR struggle with the bat; Punjab on top
Royals 122-6 (17 ovs) vs Punjab | Scorecard
Ellis, who bowled an excellent first spell of 1/6 in two overs, comes back into the attack.
Ferreira inside edges the first ball as it doesn't miss the stumps by much for two runs to fine leg followed by one.
Parag gets an edge off the next ball trying to play the cut shot as wicketkeeper Bairstow dives to his right but can't get his gloves to the ball, which races across for a four.
Singles from the last three balls as 10 runs come from the over.
Arshdeep back into the attack. The first ball is pitched up as Parag hammers it straight down the ground beating the fielder at long-on for a four.
The next ball is on length but wide as Parag manages to carve it short thirdman for a boundary.
Arshdeep nearly gets revenge. Parag, on 42, miscues the slower ball, a full toss, straight back but Arshdeep fails to take the catch to his left despite getting a hand on it.
Parag is then beaten as he tries to upper cut Arshdeep's short ball before taking a single from the last ball.
20:53 Powell out for 4; Royals lose 6th wicket
Royals 103-6 (15 ovs) vs Punjab | Scorecard
Punjab's bowlers keep chipping away at the wickets. Leg-spinner Chahar comes back and claims the key wicket of Powell.
The West Indian looks to push the length ball down to long-on but ends up miscuing the googly uppishly straight back as Chahar takes a sharp catch to his right.
Powell walks back for five as Royals slip to 102/6 in the 15th over.
Royals forced to make the Impact Player Substitution. Donovan Ferreira comes into the playing XI in place of Dhruv Jurel, who is substituted.
Ferreira is beaten as Chahar gets some turn as the appeal for caught behind is turned down. Punjab take the review but there is nothing on the UltraEdge.
Ferreira gets off the mark with a single from the last ball.
Chahar gives away just two runs from his final over as he finishes with superb figures of 2/26 from his four overs.
20:46 Curran strikes again; Royals 5 down
Royals 101-5 (14 ovs) vs Punjab | Scorecard
Curran comes back into the attack. Parag slashes the first ball past the fielder at point for a four and takes one off the next.
Dhruv Jurel falls for a first-ball duck as he pulls the short ball from Curran straight to Harpreet Brar at midwicket.
Rovman Powell walks in at No 7. He plays a beautiful drive through the covers off the first ball he faces for a four to take Royals past the 100-run mark, in the 14th over.
20:39 Ashwin out for 28; Royals 4 down
Royals 92-4 (13 ovs) vs Punjab | Scorecard
Arshdeep is back into the attack. Parag takes a single from the first ball before Ashwin pokes at the next ball and is beaten and then takes a single.
Parag latches on to a full wide delivery as he hammers it through the covers for a four.
He is struck on the back thigh next ball as Arshdeep gets the ball to swing in quite a lot. Punjab appeal for leg before wicket but the impact seems a bit high.
Arshdeep strikes off the next ball. Ashwin looking to loft it over the off-side ends up slicing it straight to Shashank Singh at deep point to fall after a good hand of 28 from 19 balls.
Royals need Parag to bat through the next eight overs. They are struggling on 92/4 in 13 overs with Parag on 22.
20:32 Ashwin's attack rallies Royals
Royals 85-3 (12 ovs) vs Punjab | Scorecard
Royals struggled in the first half of their innings, managing just seven fours and a six in the first 10 overs.
Harshal back into the attack. Singles from the first two balls before Parag plays a majestic shot, punching the pacer perfectly in the gap through the covers for a four.
A wide followed by three singles makes it 10 runs from the over.
Chahar continues as Ashwin finally breaks the shackles. He heaves the leg-spinner over midwicket for a six and plays the reverse sweep off the next ball over point for a boundary.
He then makes room and lofts the last ball inside out wide of long-off for another four to get 17 from the over.
20:22 Royals struggle with the bat
Royals 58-3 (10 ovs) vs Punjab | Scorecard
Spin from both ends as left-armer Harpreet Brar comes into the attack. Ashwin gets lucky as the thick inside edge while looking to drive through the off-side goes fine on the leg side for a four.
Two balls later he top edges the sweep which falls in the vacant short fine leg region for two runs.
He clips the fourth ball on the leg side for one and Parag clips the fifth ball off his pads for two runs followed by a single to get 10 runs from the over.
Chahar continues Punjab's fine showing with the ball as he concedes five singles in his second over.
At the halfway mark, Royals are struggling on 58/3 in 10 overs, with a run rate of under six.
Ashwin is on 10 from as many balls while Parag has made eight.
20:13 Royals lose 3rd wicket; Punjab on top
Royals 43-3 (8 ovs) vs Punjab | Scorecard
Leg-spinner Rahul Chahar comes into the attack, to bowl the eighth over. He strikes with his second ball as Kohler-Cadmore looking to hit the spinner out of the park holes out to the fielder at long-on.
Kohler-Cadmore is dismissed after a sedate knock of 18 from 23 balls as Royals slip to 42/3 in the eight over.
Ravichandran Ashwin comes in at No 5 with Royals needing a good partnership to get their innings back on track.
Ashwin is beaten first ball as he looks to cut. The next ball is a ripper, as Chahar gets some turn and bounce to beat Ashwin on the outside edge as he comes forward to defend.
The right-hander gets off the mark with a single from the last ball as Chahar concedes just two singles in his first over, while picking up a wicket.
20:09 Samson out for 18 as Royals struggle
Royals 41-2 (7 ovs) vs Punjab | Scorecard
The pressure pays off for Punjab. A big blow for Royals as captain Samson is caught at point off the bowling of Ellis for 18.
Royals in a spot of bother on 40/2 in the seventh over.
Clever change of pace from Ellis. The slower bouncer doesn't bounce much as Samson looking to cut it over point can only manage to hit it straight to Rahul Chahar.
Local hero Riyan Parag comes out to a huge cheer and he gets off the mark with a single.
Another excellent over from Ellis as he gives away three runs. He has superb figures of 1/6 in two overs, including six dot balls.
20:04 Samson, Kohler-Cadmore rally Royals
Royals 38-1 (6 ovs) vs Punjab | Scorecard
Pacer Nathan Elllis comes into the attack. Kohler-Cadmore throws his bat at the first ball and ends up miscuing it but it clears the cover fielder for a single.
Samson takes one off the third ball before Kohler-Cadmore misses the pull shot.
He has another attempt at the big slot but gets the thick inside edge for just one as Ellis makes a good start giving away just three runs in his opening over.
Harshal Patel into the attack from the other end. He starts with an overpitched delivery which Kohler-Cadmore hammers straight down the ground for a boundary.
A well-disguised slower ball from Harshal as opener Kohler-Cadmore is way too early into the slog and is beaten.
He then comes down the track but can't get hold of the high full toss as he mistimes it on the leg side.
Harshal bowls a good yorker which the right-hander can only defend back and hits the last ball to the fielder at point.
Good disciplined bowling from Punjab in the Powerplay as Royals struggle to 38/1 in six overs, with both Samson and Kohler-Cadmore on 17 each.
19:51 Samson, Kohler-Cadmore rally Royals
Royals 31-1 (4 ovs) vs Punjab | Scorecard
Arshdeep to bowl his second over. Samson gets a thick outside edge off the first ball for two runs to thirdman before he pulls the next square on the leg side for a four.
Two balls later, he picks the length as he rocks back to punch Arshdeep in the gap between covers and point for a wonderful boundary.
That four takes Samson past the 500-run mark for the first time in his IPL career. He is the fifth batter to get past the 500-run mark in IPL 2024.
19:46 Jaiswal out for 4; Royals lose early wkt
Royals 21-1 (3 ovs) vs Punjab | Scorecard
Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh to bowl from the other end. Samson runs the first ball to thirdman for a single and Kohler-Cadmore keeps out the next two balls before he pulls the fourth ball for a single.
Some away movement for Arshdeep as Samson pokes and gets the edge but the ball falls just short of wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow, who dives to his right.
The Royals captain slaps the last ball with a straight bat back past the bowler for a boundary.
Curran continues as Kohler-Cadmore pulls the second ball high into the stands over midwicket for a six.
But the Punjab skipper once again makes a good comeback as he bowls four dots in a row to concede just six in his second over.
19:42 Jaiswal out for 4; Royals lose early wkt
Royals 9-0 (1 ov) vs Punjab | Scorecard
Captain Sam Curran starts with the ball for Punjab Kings, while Yashasvi Jaiswal opens the batting with debutant Tom Kohler-Cadmore.
The first ball is right in the slot, a wide half-volley which Jaiswal crashes through the covers for a boundary to make a confident start.
However, Curran gets revenge a few balls later. Jaiswal again looks to drive it through the off-side but this time he gets a big inside edge and ends up dragging the ball back on to his stumps.
Jaiswal walks back for four as Royals suffer an early blow in the very first over.
Captain Sanju Samson gets off the mark with a single and Kohler-Cadmore gets off the mark with a four as he glances the last ball of the over, fine on the leg side.
19:13 Royals win toss; elect to bat vs Punjab
Royals have gone in with three overseas players as they look at Donovan Ferreira playing a role later on or even the likes of Nandre Burger and Keshav Maharaj could come into the picture.
Check out the playing XIs:
Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (captain, w/k), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Rovman Powell, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Sandeep Sharma, Avesh Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Punjab Kings: Sam Curran (captain), Prabhsimran Singh, Jonny Bairstow, Rilee Rossouw, Shashank Singh, Jitesh Sharma (w/k), Harpreet Brar, Harshal Patel, Nathan Ellis, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh.
19:06 Royals win toss; elect to bat vs Punjab
Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson has won the toss and elected to bat against Punjab Kings in Guwahati on Wednesday.
"We will bat first. We spent some time here, this is no dew later on," Samson says at the toss.
Jos Buttler has gone back to England as Royals bring in Tom Kohler-Cadmore as his replacement.
Punjab also have a few changes. With Kagiso Rabada returning to South Africa, Nathan Ellis plays his first game of the season, while Harpreet Brar also comes back into the team.
Riyan Parag
19:01 Royals aim to get back to winning ways vs PBKS
Welcome to the coverage of the IPL 2024 match between Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings in Guwahati on Wednesday.
Having already sealed their place in the play-offs, Rajasthan Royals will be aiming to finish in the top two when they play against an already eliminated Punjab Kings in the IPL 2024 match in Guwahati on Wednesday.
Royals have hit a roadblock, suffering defeats in their last three games.
Lucknow Super Giants' defeat at the hands of Delhi Capitals ensured Royals' passage to the play-offs.
However, they will be aiming to win their last two games and ensure a place in the top two of the standings to qualify for the Qualifier 1 match, which gives them two shots at making the IPL final.
Riyan Parag, the hottest cricketing property to emerge from India's north-east, is expected to get a grand welcome from his home fans in Guwahati.
Parag has been a standout player for Royals this season, hitting 483 runs at a strike-rate of 153.
The huge support for the 22-year-old will also help Sanju Samson and his men against Punjab Kings, which unearthed two T20 gems in Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma but once again failed to fire as a team.
Skipper Shikhar Dhawan's absence due to injury for the better part of the season made matters worse as his stand-in Sam Curran didn't exactly look the part.
Samson, on the other hand, has grown in stature as a leader in what is expected to be his best season as a batter.
He already is his team's top-scorer with 486 runs. The dynamic opening duo of Yashasvi Jaiswal (344 runs) and Jos Buttler (359 runs) have had an average season by their standards but Parag and Samson have ensured that batting remained solid and consistent with he low-scoring game against CSK being an aberration.
Buttler's return to England to prepare for the T20 World Cup will be a big blow for RR in the business end of the IPL. Punjab had Liam Livingstone returning to England on Monday to undergo a knee recuperation ahead of the next month's T20 World Cup.
RR's strongest aspect is their bowling unit that has never been taken to the task as such during the whole season. Sandeep Sharma (Economy Rate 8.07) at the death and Trent Boult (ER 8.38) at the start have executed their plans to perfection.
Ravichandran Ashwin has only become sharper as the tournament has progressed and Yuzvendra Chahal can always produce that magic ball against the run of play.
Riyan Parag
18:39 Royals aim to get back to winning ways vs PBKS
Welcome to the coverage of the IPL 2024 match between Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings in Guwahati on Wednesday.
Having already sealed their place in the play-offs, Rajasthan Royals will be aiming to finish in the top two when they play against an already eliminated Punjab Kings in the IPL 2024 match in Guwahati on Wednesday.
Royals have hit a roadblock, suffering defeats in their last three games.
Lucknow Super Giants' defeat at the hands of Delhi Capitals ensured Royals' passage to the play-offs.
However, they will be aiming to win their last two games and ensure a place in the top two of the standings to qualify for the Qualifier 1 match, which gives them two shots at making the IPL final.
Riyan Parag, the hottest cricketing property to emerge from India's north-east, is expected to get a grand welcome from his home fans in Guwahati.
Parag has been a standout player for Royals this season, hitting 483 runs at a strike-rate of 153.
The huge support for the 22-year-old will also help Sanju Samson and his men against Punjab Kings, which unearthed two T20 gems in Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma but once again failed to fire as a team.
Skipper Shikhar Dhawan's absence due to injury for the better part of the season made matters worse as his stand-in Sam Curran didn't exactly look the part.
Samson, on the other hand, has grown in stature as a leader in what is expected to be his best season as a batter.
He already is his team's top-scorer with 486 runs. The dynamic opening duo of Yashasvi Jaiswal (344 runs) and Jos Buttler (359 runs) have had an average season by their standards but Parag and Samson have ensured that batting remained solid and consistent with he low-scoring game against CSK being an aberration.
Buttler's return to England to prepare for the T20 World Cup will be a big blow for RR in the business end of the IPL. Punjab had Liam Livingstone returning to England on Monday to undergo a knee recuperation ahead of the next month's T20 World Cup.
RR's strongest aspect is their bowling unit that has never been taken to the task as such during the whole season. Sandeep Sharma (Economy Rate 8.07) at the death and Trent Boult (ER 8.38) at the start have executed their plans to perfection.
Ravichandran Ashwin has only become sharper as the tournament has progressed and Yuzvendra Chahal can always produce that magic ball against the run of play.
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