PBKS vs RR HIGHLIGHTS, IPL 2023: Hetmyer, Jurel help Rajasthan beat Punjab, reach 14 points

We lost too many wickets in the powerplay and that put us on the backfoot, but Curran, Jitesh and Shahrukh got us back in the game, the bowling was good (in patches), but the fielding wasn’t great, the dropped catches cost us the game. I feel 200 should have been a good total on this pitch. We could have done better in all the areas I think. Sometimes the batting was clicking, and sometimes the bowling was clicking, we couldn’t get put those performances together. But it’s a young group, so we have learnt a lot of things this season. I knew I had to take the game deep, so I wanted my best bowlers to bowl early, so Rahul had to bowl the last over. In the last game I gave Harpreet the final over, it depends on the surface and the situation.

Rahul Chahar to bowl the last over. Chahar slides the ball in and Jurel tucks it to the on-side and reels in two runs. Close chance at the striker’s end but Jurel makes it. Jurel charges and hits the ball to long-off for a single. Boult flicks the ball to deep mid-wicket for another single. In the slot and Jurel steps out and pumps the ball over long-off for SIX.

Curran offers room with a slower ball and Hetmyer smites it through extra cover for FOUR and has a celebratory jog around the bowler. A single to follow. Jurel chips one over cover for one run. Another slower ball and Hetmyer crunches it through deep cover for FOUR more. Curran to Hetmyer, OUT? Dhawan leaps in from cover to pouch a catch or is it? Close. The umpires review. Massive wicket for RR! Dhawan has his fingers underneath the ball and Hetmyer has to go! Trent Boult is in at 8.

Shimron Hetmyer c Dhawan b Curran 46 (28b 4x4 3x6)

Rabada starts with a no ball. Short, slower ball and Parag swats it over mid-wicket for SIX. Short from Rabada and Parag smokes it over mid-wicket for a massive SIX! Rabada to Parag, OUT! Leading edge to point.

Riyan Parag c Taide b Rabada 20 (12b 1x4 2x6)

Curran hits the wide yorker and Hetmyer drills him through extra cover for FOUR. Top-edge from Hetmyer and Brar drops a skier at short fine-leg. Curran bumps one in and Hetmyer plays around it and the keeper claims a catch. The umpire raises his finger and Curran is ecstatic. He has a few words for Hetmyer who reviews instantly. NOT OUT as there is no spike on UltraEdge.

A couple of dots and Hetmyer throws the kitchen sink at a length delivery and miscues it to the deep for two runs. Wide yorker from Arshdeep and Hetmyer finds a single. Low full toss and Parag gets a thick outside-edge for FOUR.

Ellis to Jaiswal, OUT! Jaiswal attempts a reverse-sweep off a low full toss and finds the point fielder. Massive wicket for PBKS. Riyan Parag is in at 6.

Yashasvi Jaiswal c sub (R Dhawan) b Ellis 50 (36b 8x4)

Sam Curran is in and Hetmyer pumps a length ball over long-on for SIX. A single to follow. Curran strays to the pads and Jaiswal flicks the ball over mid-wicket for FOUR. Another single. Curran rushes one in and Hetmyer gets an inside-edge past the keeper and short fine leg for FOUR.

Ellis hits the slot and Hetmyer pumps the ball over long-off for SIX. Hetmyer slices the ball over point for a single. Jaiswal attempts to flick the ball but makes a late change o upper-cut a slower ball over the keeper for FOUR.

Arshdeep lines one in and Hetmyer pumps the ball down the ground for SIX. A single to follow. Jaiswal makes room and smites Arshdeep through point for FOUR.

Chahar floats one in and Samson taps it to deep cover for a single. Jaiswal charges and beats cover for two runs. Chahar to Samson, OUT! Samson shuffles across and swipes the ball straight to square-leg.

Sanju Samson c sub (R Dhawan) b Chahar 2 (3b

Arshdeep fends short and Padikkal pulls him over long-on for SIX. Padikkal races to a 29-ball FIFTY! Arshdeep to Padikkal, OUT! Gone this time! Width from Arshdeep cuts it straight to backward point.

Sanju Samson is in at 3.

Devdutt Padikkal c Harpreet Brar b Arshdeep Singh 51 (30b 5x4 3x6)

Chahar drifts one in and Jaiswal makes room to pump the ball over extra cover for FOUR. The batters keep busy with ones and twos.

Padikkal charges towards Ellis and blasts the ball through cover for FOUR. A couple of singles to follow.

Rahul Chahar into the attack. Tidy over from Chahar. Just the four from it.

A hint of room from Rabada and Padikkal slices the ball over backward fine leg for SIX. Short ball and Padikkal stands tall to whack the ball over cover for FOUR.

Impact Player Nathan Ellis is into the attack. A hint of room and Padikkal slaps the ball through point for FOUR. A decent one overall with just six runs from the over.

Length from Rabada and Padikkal gets a leading-edge flying over third for SIX. A slew of singles to follow - 11 from the over.

Arshdeep Singh replaces Curran. Short from Arshdeep and Jaiswal leans back and slams it through the off-side for FOUR. A single to follow. Room from Arshdeep and Padikkal flicks it through square for FOUR.

Kagiso Rabada into the attack. Beaten! Rabada whizzes one past Buttler’s outside-edge. Beaten again. Similar line and Buttler misses it again. Rabada to Buttler, OUT! His fifth duck of the season - the most by a batter in an IPL season! Devdutt Padikkal is in at 3.

Jos Buttler lbw b Rabada 0 (4b)

Sam Curran opens the attack. Jaiswal opens the account for RR with a streaky inside-edge past the keeper for FOUR. Short and wide, Jaiswal slams it through point for FOUR. Another short ball and Jaiswal pulls it front of square for FOUR.

Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler is back for the chase.

Boult is back. He drops short and Shahrukh biffs the ball through wide long-on for FOUR. Boult strays to the pads and Shahrukh flicks the ball to short fine-leg and Chahal drops a straightforward catch. Boult hits the slot and Shahrukh blasts it over mid-wicket for a massive SIX! 18 from the final over! 46 runs from the last two. What a finish for Punjab.

Chahal goes short and Shahrukh swats it for FOUR through mid-wicket. Chahal goes shorter and Shahrukh swings it farther into the stands over mid-wicket for SIX. A single to follow. Length from Chahal and Curran wallops it down the ground for another SIX. Bang! Curran smokes another one over deep mid-wicket for SIX! In the air and dropped! Curran whacks the ball towards mid-wicket and the fielder in the deep drops a dolly and concedes a FOUR.

Saini sends in a bouncer and Curran unleashes another upper-cut for FOUR. A couple of singles to follow but the PBKS batters still fail to take off.

Shahrukh is struggling against the spinner and Zampa constricts him with a tight line.

Sandeep returns with a bumper and Curran upper-cuts it over Samson for FOUR. Sandeep fiddles with his lengths and four singles follow.

Chahal skims through another top over. Shahrukh and Curran drop anchor and only two runs come off the over.

Saini drops short and Jitesh hammers the ball over point and Hetmyer fumbles in the deep to concede a FOUR. In the slot and Jitesh slaps the ball over cover for another SIX. Another short ball and Jitesh heaves it over mid-wicket for a FOUR. Saini to Jitesh, OUT! Gone this time. Slower ball from Saini and Jitesh gets a toe-edge out to cover and perishes. Shahrukh Khan is in at 7.

Jitesh Sharma c sub (D Ferreira) b Saini 44 (28b 3x4 3x6)

Sandeep starts with a fuller delivery and Jitesh hits it straight back but the bowler does well to block it down. Six from the over and the 100 is up for PBKS.

A slew of singles to start the over. Zampa drops short and Jitesh slashes the ball behind point and Hetmyer puts in a superb dive to save a few uns. Zampa slides one in and Jitesh makes room to pump the ball over cover for FOUR.

Chahal starts with a short ball and Curran slaps the ball through extra cover for FOUR. He corrects his lines to constrict the batters. Seven from the over.

Sandeep is back. Slower-ball on length and Jitesh charges to slap the ball over long-off for SIX. A couple of singles to follow and Sandeep offers another straight deliver. Bang. Jitesh crunches the ball down the ground for another big SIX.

Yuzvendra Chahal into the attack. Chahal is foxing Jitesh with excellent variations in pace. Just the three runs from the over. RR continues to tighten the leash.

Saini to Livingstone, OUT! Cleans him up! A rash swipe across the line and Saini hits the top of the middle-stump with a quick delivery off length. Jitesh Sharma is in at 6.

Liam Livingstone b Saini 9 (13b 1x4)

Adam Zampa into the attack. Zampa to Dhawan, OUT! That’s plumb! Dhawan attempts to sweep a fuller delivery and misses it altogether. A massive wicket for the Royals inside the PowerPlay.

Shikhar Dhawan lbw b Zampa 17 (12b 2x4 1x6)

Boult returns. Boult starts with a wide but varies his lengths to keep the batters in check. Just three runs from the over.

Navdeep Saini replaces Sandeep. Length from Saini and Taide pummels the ball past mid-on for FOUR. FOUR more. Saini strays to the pads and Taida flicks it past backward square. Saini to Taide, OUT. Straight to mid-wicket. A steeping bouncer from Saini and Taide mistimes the pull to mid-wicket. Liam Livingstone is in at 4. Livingstone’s off the mark with a swipe through mid-wicket for FOUR.

Atharva Taide c Padikkal b Saini 19 (12b 3x4 1x6)

Boult slides one in and Taide nonchalantly flicksthe ball over mid-wicket for SIX. A single to follow. 12 runs come off the over.

Sandeep Sharma from the opposite end. Sandeep oversteps and starts with a no ball. In the slot and Dhawan pumps the ball over long-on for FOUR. Length ball and Dhawan charges down the ground for SIX.

Trent Boult opens the attack for RR. Prabhsimran on strike. A hint of room and Prabhsimran slaps the ball past point for two runs. Boult to Prabhsimran, OUT! Caught and bowled. A stunner from Boult. Prabhsimran chips the ball to his right and Boult lunges to his left for a superb catch. Atharva Taide is in at 3.

Prabhsimran Singh and Shikhar Dhawan walk out for Punjab Kings.

Rajasthan Royals XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson(w/c), Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Adam Zampa, Trent Boult, Navdeep Saini, Sandeep Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal

RR Impact Subs: Dhruv Jurel, Donovan Ferreira, Akash Vasisht, Kuldeep Sen, Murugan Ashwin.

Punjab Kings XI: Shikhar Dhawan(c), Prabhsimran Singh, Atharva Taide, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Jitesh Sharma(w), Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh

PBKS Impact Subs: Nathan Ellis, Sikandar Raza, Rishi Dhawan, Mohit Rathee, Matthew Short.

TOSS: Rajasthan wins toss, opts to bowl

Shikhar Dhawan: Last match, dew wasn’t much. First batting or second, it shouldn’t change much. We will come and enjoy the game. Will try to give our best shot. We need to take more wickets in the first 6 overs. We can cash in more. We are playing the same team.

Sanju Samson: We will bowl. Looking at the dimensions and looking as to what we require in the tournament, it is better to bowl. We need to win the game. Then see how the other games go. If you want to play good T20 cricket, you need to forget things. We have had four to five days off. One has to understand the conditions. We have couple of changes. Last minute changes. Ashwin misses out because of a back spasm.

“It’s the same surface which was used against DC. Talking about dimensions, it’s equidistant on either side - 65 metres apiece, a hit straight downtown is 76 metres. Tonight it’s a similar surface, although I do note one change is it there isn’t so much of that green, that live grass into it. It’s not going to have as much movement off the seam inside the powerplay. Don’t think it’s gonna help the spinners much either. Good batting track. I would bat first, the dew is not going to be a factor either. Bat first, know your total and get about defending it. That’s key tonight.” - Matthew Hayden and Murali Kartik

RR (highest score) vs PBKS: 226/6 (20) - Rajasthan Royals won by four wickets (Sharjah; 2020)

RR (lowest score) vs PBKS: 112/7 (20) - Rajasthan Royals lost by 27 runs (Cape Town; 2009)

PBKS (highest score) vs RR: 223/2 (20) - Punjab Kings lost by four wickets (Sharjah; 2020)

PBKS (lowest score) vs RR: 124 (18.5) - Punjab Kings lost by six wickets (Jaipur; April 2013)

RR (highest individual score) vs PBKS: Sanju Samson 119 (63) (Wankhede; 2021)

RR (best bowling figures) vs PBKS: Kevon Cooper 4/26 (4) (Jaipur; 2012)

PBKS (highest individual score) vs RR: Shaun Marsh 115 (69) (Mohali; 2008)

PBKS (best bowling figures) vs RR: Arshdeep Singh 5/32 (4) (Dubai; 2021)

Matches played: 25

Rajasthan Royals won: 14

Punjab Kings won: 11

Last result: Punjab Kings won by 5 runs

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson(c & wk), Joe Root, Devdutt Padikkal/Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Sandeep Sharma, KM Asif, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Shikhar Dhawan (c), Prabhsimran Singh, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sam Curran, Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Nathan Ellis, Rishi Dhawan, Arshdeep Singh.

The IPL 2023 match between Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals will be aired live on Star Sports channels from 7:30PM IST- Star Sports 1 , Star Sports 1 HD, Star Sports 3 , and Star Sports 3 HD . Live Streaming can also be watched on Jio Cinema.

Punjab Kings Squad: Shikhar Dhawan(c), Atharva Taide, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma(w), Sam Curran, Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Kagiso Rabada, Nathan Ellis, Arshdeep Singh, Prabhsimran Singh, Sikandar Raza, Matthew Short, Rishi Dhawan, Mohit Rathee, Harpreet Singh Bhatia, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Baltej Singh, Vidhwath Kaverappa, Gurnoor Brar, Shivam Singh

Rajasthan Royals Squad: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson(w/c), Joe Root, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Adam Zampa, Sandeep Sharma, KM Asif, Yuzvendra Chahal, Trent Boult, Jason Holder, Murugan Ashwin, Navdeep Saini, Akash Vasisht, KC Cariappa, Obed McCoy, Riyan Parag, Devdutt Padikkal, Kuldip Yadav, Kuldeep Sen, Donavon Ferreira, Abdul Basith, Kunal Singh Rathore

Punjab Kings (13 matches, 12 points) - NRR: -0.308

Punjab Kings’ form fizzled out after its positive start under new captain Shikhar Dhawan this season. With 12 points from as many matches, PBKS shares similar concerns with RCB. With two games in hand, the Kings can target 16 points as their remaining games are slotted with teams who are on same points or below it on the points table.

If Punjab manages to earn wins over RR and DC, it will be in contention for a Playoffs spot alongside CSK, LSG, MI and RCB. Punjab will also want to boost its NRR in its remaining matches. It currently bears the lowest NRR among all teams in contention.

With a 15-run defeat to Delhi Capitals, PBKS finds itself in dire straits and will need to beat RR to finish at best with 14 points. In such a scenario, PBKS will also need RCB to not win more than one of its next two games while MI loses its last fixture to SRH.

Rajasthan Royals (13 matches, 12 points) - NRR: +0.140

Sanju Samson’s side suffered a crushing 112-run loss against Royal Challengers Bangalore last week and RR’s chances of qualifying has dwindled to a faint possibility. The Royals had won five of their first six matches before botching the remaining seven where they only won one match.

While it undoubtedly needs a win over Punjab in its final game, RR also requires a host of results to go in its favour to qualify. It would require RCB and MI to not win in their respective last matches. While CSK remains out of reach, RR will also require one of MI or LSG to lose both of their remaining fixtures to pull off a miracle.

While fate is no longer in their hands, Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) will push for a win in a bid to marginally stay alive in the race for the IPL (Indian Premier League) playoffs when they face off at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium here on Friday.

Tied on 12 points with one league match to play, PBKS and RR’s horizons have conspicuously converged.

Both teams lost steam in the latter half of the tournament, losing two of their last six matches, after making promising starts to their respective campaigns.

PBKS conceded five 200-plus totals in its last seven games while RR has failed to defend two totals in excess of 200 of late.

Given that more than 400 runs were aggregated at the venue in Kings’ 15-run defeat to Capitals two nights ago and that both teams have a penchant for big totals, the side batting first will refrain from complacency. PBKS’ thrilling five-run win while defending 197 against RR earlier in the tournament is now a distant memory.

However, fresh in RR’s conscience will be its humiliating capitulation against Royal Challengers Bangalore when it was bundled out for 59 – the season’s lowest score and the third lowest in the tournament’s history.

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Its openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler failed to open their account in that game but will have their tails up against PBKS’ bowling, which has been toothless in the PowerPlay, conceding 9.20 runs an over while averaging more than 50 runs per wicket.

Jaiswal, in the midst of a breakthrough tournament, shook off the demons of his two-ball duck against RCB with an hour-long net session on the eve of the match.

He polished his pull shots against the sidearm thrower on a wicket with appreciable bounce while Ravichandran Ashwin too had an extended session with the bat, striking a flurry of big hits down the ground.

Kings’ shaky top order will be wary of Trent Boult, who has picked nine of Royals’ 15 wickets in the PowerPlay and should return to the side on a pacer-friendly wicket. How Punjab’s hard-hitting middle-order, and Liam Livingstone in particular, shapes up against spin twins Yuzvendra Chahal and Ashwin will interesting to see.

PBKS’ spinners Rahul Chahar and Harpreet Brar are the only bowlers from their team with an economy rate of under 8.50 this season and will be key in tying up RR’s wobbly middle-order, which has notably struggled against the tweakers. RR skipper Sanju Samson has blown hot and cold but his strike rate of 170.31 against spin can negate the spin threat.

Plundering and leaking runs at the death have been tropes for both teams lately and this is where their fates could decisively converge.

- Dhruva Prasad