After a series of forgettable outings, Trent Boult rose to the occasion when it mattered. The New Zealand quick rediscovered his touch, picked up a couple of wickets and guided Rajasthan Royals to a 24-run win against Lucknow Super Giants in an Indian Premier League (IPL) fixture at the Brabourne Stadium on Sunday.

After Yashasvi Jaiswal (41, 29b, 6x4, 1x6) and Devdutt Padikkal’s 39 (18b, 5x4, 2x6) guided Royals to 178 for six, Boult removed Quinton de Kock and Ayush Badoni inside the first three overs, with just 15 runs on the board.

Slashing a short ball off Boult (two for 18), de Kock offered a low catch to Jimmy Neesham, and in the very next delivery, Badoni was trapped leg before.

Two wickets down, the onus was on captain KL Rahul to steady the innings, but Prasidh Krishna cut his stay short, tempting him to offer a catch to Jaiswal at point.

AS IT HAPPENED

Lucknow was reeling at 29 for three in 5.3 overs, but it rebuilt with Deepak Hooda (59, 39b, 5x4, 2x6) and Krunal Pandya forging a 65-run stand. Having played together for Baroda for years, Krunal and Hooda know each other's game well.

Ravichandran Ashwin struck as Krunal attempted a big shot with a lofted straight swipe, but an excellent assisted catch between Jos Buttler and Riyan Parag at long-off saw him return to the dugout.

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With the momentum lost, Hooda was soon stumped by Sanju Samson off Yuzvendra Chahal, and Obed McCoy tightened the noose, picking up a couple of wickets and restricting Super Giants to 154 for eight. Marcus Stoinis stayed at the crease till the final over before falling to Prasidh, but it was not enough.

Earlier, opting to bat, Royals lost their opener Buttler for just two runs. But Jaiswal and Sanju added 64 runs for the second wicket. Jaiswal tore apart Dushmantha Chameera, hitting three fours and a six in the sixth over.

Captain Samson, too, hit a few fours before picking out Hooda in the deep. Padikkal and Jaiswal motored along as the team reached the 100-run mark in 11 overs. Although the two fell in quick succession, Boult’s quickfire 17 off nine balls helped Royals put up a competitive total, which was enough for their bowlers to defend.