The Rajasthan Royals have nearly warranted a place for themselves in the playoffs after defeating Punjab Kings by six wickets in match 52 of IPL 2022. Batting first, the Kings posted a total of 189 runs in their 20 overs. Jonny Bairstow top scored with a knock of 54 runs, followed by Jitesh Sharma, who scored an unbeaten 38 down the order. Big names like Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal and Liam Livingstone failed to deliver.
Yuzvendra Chahal, the current Purple Cap Holder, was the best bowler for Rajasthan as he picked up three wickets in his four overs while conceding 28 runs. The worst bowling performance came from Prasidh Krishna, who gave away 48 runs for a wicket.
Chasing 190 to win, the Royals got off to a good start as their openers put up a 46-run stand for the first wicket. Yashasvi Jaiswal scored 68 off 41 balls laced with nine boundaries and two maximums. Buttler, on the other hand, scored 30 off 16.
Captain Sanju Samson then chipped in with 23 runs followed by Devdutt Padikkal’s 31 and Shimron Hetmyer’s unbeaten 31. Rajasthan wrapped up the chase with two balls remaining. They are now third in the points table and will be eyeing a top two finish. Punjab, meanwhile, have gone down to the seventh spot.
Image credit: IPL
