Rajasthan Royals defeat RCB by four wickets to halt their incredible IPL run

In the Indian Premier League, the Rajasthan Royals put an end to Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s wild ride on Wednesday by winning the eliminator by a shaky four wickets. The 2008 champions ultimately made it home with one over remaining after their bowlers did a great job keeping RCB to 172/8. However, RR hitters faltered in the middle overs, allowing RCB to get back into the game. The game stayed close for much of the second half.

After chasing 173, Rajasthan finished with 174/6 thanks to a nervous finish from Rovman Powell (16 not out). As he has done on several occasions before this season, Riyan Parag (36 off 26) has shown unwavering tenacity in the face of adversity to help Rajasthan advance in the competition. The Royals had not won a game in four years and this was their first victory. To get to the IPL final, the 2008 champion Royals take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in Chennai on Friday.

Shimron Hetmyer, who is back, did his bit well as well, reaching a vital 26 off only 14 balls. In a match where luck was inconsistent, RR maintained their lead with strong performances all through, despite Mohammed Siraj (2/33) giving RCB late hope when he removed Parag and Hetmyer in the 18th over. Powell hit two fours off Lockie Ferguson with two overs remaining to give his team the advantage. Yashasvi Jaiswal (45 off 30) was the one who first gave them the push at the top.

Jaiswal got off to a shaky start, hitting his first few boundaries, but he gained confidence when Yash Dayal gave him some deliveries to work with. In the third over, the RR opener broke free by hitting four fours. On the other end, Glenn Maxwell gave Tom Kohler-Cadmore (20) a lifeline when he lost a sitter at deep square leg off Dayal. Kohler-Cadmore also smashed a few fours against Siraj.

RCB needed a breakthrough since RR’s acceleration was quickly slicing runs off the target. Lockie Ferguson delivered the first one, foxing Kohler-Cadmore with a slow yorker that smashed into the stumps. Jaiswal’s innings took some time to get into a rhythm, as he faced just 29 balls before the intense heat finally got the best of him.

Jaiswal was treated on the field between the ninth and tenth overs, and when he returned, he tried a ramp shot off Cameron Green but gloved it to the wicketkeeper. Shortly after, Sanju Samson (17) was floored by Karn Sharma, dealing a body blow. With their heads held high, RCB proceeded to make progress, as Dhruv Jurel (8) was out after an outstanding partnership between Virat Kohli and Cameron Green. With a crisp delivery from deep midwicket, Kohli found Jurel short of his crease at the non-striker’s end.

When RR decided to go after Green in the fifteenth over, they were clearly under pressure, as he had been destroying them with three clean overs and a wicket up until that point. Hetmyer struck the Australian for a six, and Parag added another to his partner’s ton of runs, which came to seventeen. The Rajasthan Royals had bowled rather well earlier.

The RR bowlers, spearheaded by Trent Boult (4-0-16-1), delivered an opening spell of 3-0-6-1, and they continued to take wickets at critical junctures to dominate the game. After being wicketless for a long period, the legendary Ravichandran Ashwin (4-0-19-2) made history by taking successive wickets from Glenn Maxwell (0) and Cameron Green (27) along with a few of contributions from Avesh Khan (3/44). Rajasthan’s fielders, especially Rovman Powell, provided sufficient support for their bowling, making two outstanding catches that hindered RCB’s progress.