Shikhar Dhawan and Prabhsimran Singh smashed classy half-centuries before Nathan Ellis’ exploits with the ball led Punjab Kings to a nervy five-run win over Rajasthan Royals in an IPL match, here on Wednesday. Youngster Prabhsimran (60) and veteran skipper Dhawan (86 not out) hammered the Rajasthan Royals attack to propel Punjab Kings to a challenging 197 for 4 after being asked to bat.
Royals were then bowled by Ellis (4/30) before Shimron Hetmyer (35) and young ‘Impact Player’ Dhruv Jurel (32 off 15) put on a 62-run partnership to get Rajasthan back into the game.
But IPL’s costliest overseas recruit Sam Curran justified his top billing with a brilliant stand of 15 in the last over to restrict Royals to 192 for 7. Pacer Arshdeep Singh provided the early breakthrough as evidenced by both the openers. Royals sent in Ravichandran Ashwin to open for Jose Buttler, who walked off with a grin after earlier taking Shahrukh Khan’s catch.
Yashasvi Jaiswal went first as he sent the ball straight into the field. Ashwin’s experiment also failed as the elderly spinner perished to the duck. Coming in at number 3 Buttler, hit 11-ball-19. He was dropped in the third round but couldn’t do much as he became Ellis’ first victim of the night. Captain Sanju Samson (42 off 25) looked good timing the ball well. He bribed Harpreet Brar for a back-to-back boundary and then Ellis saluted the twins.
Rajasthan were 89 for 3 at the halfway mark. But the Punjab bowlers managed to dry up the boundaries and with the required run rate increasing, Samson succumbed to the pressure and mistimed Ellis’s cross seamer. Ellis then sent back local favorite Riyan Parag (20 off 12) who played a quick cameo and Devdutt Padikal (21) before Hetmyer and Jurel hit a flurry of sixes and fours to reduce the equation to 15 off the last over.
Earlier, Prabhsimran, who hit seven fours and three sixes, punished the Rajasthan bowlers mercilessly in the first 10 overs to bring up his maiden IPL fifty off 28 balls as Punjab got off to a flying start. He and Dhawan added 90 runs for the opening stand from just 61 balls.
Dhawan, on the other hand, switched effortlessly, playing second fiddle to Prabhsimran for 30 off 30 balls at one stage. Once his opening partner was dismissed, Dhawan upped the ante and scored 56 off the next 26 balls he faced.
The Punjab Kings skipper was dismissed for 50 and took most of his reprieve as he played the role of anchor of the sail which ensured his team got plenty of runs on the dew board. His innings was full of nine fours and three maximums which came the second half.
Prabhsimran started by hitting Trent Bouult for a blistering run in the first over, making his intentions clear. He followed that up by slapping a 6 over backward square against KM Asif in the second over. Dhawan briefly joined the group with back-to-back fours in the next over.
But the young opener was brutal on Asif, whom he hammered for three fours and a six in the fourth over. He did not spare Bouult and Ashwin either. The 22-year-old first hit a length ball over mid-off before slashing one past point for the second boundary. He followed that up with a short arm pull across the middle goal area to the maximum.
The introduction of spin didn’t faze Prabhsimran either as he continued his boundary storm and hit Ashwin for two consecutive fours as Punjab raced to 63/0 in the Powerplay. With a half-century in the kitty, Prabhsimran welcomed back Bouult for his second spell with a six down the ground. His scintillating innings came to an end, courtesy of Jason Holder and Buttler taking a sensational catch in front.
Punjab suffered another blow when Dhawan’s powerful drive hit Bhanuka Rajapaksa on his right arm, forcing the Sri Lankan to depart injured on 1. Dhawan, who was a spectator for most of Prabhsimran’s innings, upped the ante by playing some well-timed shots to reach his half-century in 36 balls.
Jitesh Sharma showcased his batting prowess in his 15-ball 27 which included an 89m monster six off Boult. Spinners Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal managed to stop the run flow momentarily as they picked the wickets of Jitesh and Sikandra Raza in quick succession. Holder (2/29) then took the wicket and conceded just seven runs to restrict Punjab below the 200-run mark.
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