A masterclass in all-round cricket saw Rajasthan Royals (RR) secure a four-wicket win against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the highly-anticipated Eliminator of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. The dramatic victory at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad earned the Royals a berth in Qualifier 2, where they will face Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Chennai’s iconic MA Chidambaram Stadium.
The match began with RR winning the toss and opting to field first. This decision seemed judicious as RCB’s innings, while dotted with bursts of promise, failed to consolidate into a formidable score. Various RCB batters managed to get starts but consistently failed to build on them, an issue swiftly capitalized on by RR’s disciplined bowling attack.
Leading the charge with the ball was Trent Boult, who bowled an immaculate spell with the new ball, conceding just six runs across his three overs and dismissing RCB captain Faf du Plessis for a modest 17. At the other end, Sandeep Sharma faced a more aggressive approach, going for 12 runs in his second over. A dramatic moment came in the fourth over when Avesh Khan, newly introduced to the attack, was lofted for a six by the in-form Virat Kohli.
Boult struck gold again in the fifth over, removing du Plessis with a deceptive delivery that resulted in a diving catch by Rovman Powell. Sent in ahead of Rajat Patidar, Cameron Green joined Kohli as the duo managed to steer RCB to 50 for one by the end of the powerplay.
Yuzvendra Chahal’s introduction in the eighth over turned the tables further in RR’s favor. Kohli attempted to accelerate, only to sky a delivery to mid-wicket, out for 33, granting RR a massive breakthrough. The middle overs were a pendulum swing of fortune as Green counter-attacked, only for Patidar to take his time at the crease.
R Ashwin’s spell in the middle overs was crucial, suffocating the run flow from one end and increasing the pressure on RCB’s batters. This tight bowling induced rash shots from RCB, with Green and Glenn Maxwell perishing to Powell in consecutive deliveries during the 13th over, leaving RCB stuttering at 97 for four.
Patidar, however, found his rhythm momentarily, hitting two sixes in quick succession. But Avesh Khan returned to dismantle hopes as Patidar holed out for 34 in the 15th over.
. Dinesh Karthik walked out next and was initially given out leg-before first ball, but the decision was overturned upon review.
As the death overs commenced, it was Mahipal Lomror’s brisk 32 off 17 balls that propelled RCB to a defendable total, finishing with 172 courtesy some late boundaries from Swapnil Singh and Karn Sharma in the final over.
In their chase, RR faced early resistance. RCB’s bowlers managed to keep the lid on the scoring in the first two overs. It was Yashaswi Jaiswal who broke the deadlock with a quickfire sequence of four boundaries off Yash Dayal, sending RR to a solid start until Tom Kohler-Cadmore fell to a slower ball from Lockie Ferguson for 20 in the fifth over.
Sanju Samson joined Jaiswal as they continued to accumulate runs. Jaiswal, after crossing into the 40s, attempted to scoop Green but only edged it to the wicketkeeper. Samson’s aggressive play also saw him stumped off Karn after charging down the wicket.
Riyan Parag then stepped up, even as Dhruv Jurel fell to a brilliant run-out by Kohli. Parag, alongside Shimron Hetmyer who entered as the Impact Player, steadied the ship. With five overs remaining, RR needed 48 runs. Hetmyer’s immediate six off Green and Parag’s six over cover drastically swung the momentum in RR’s favor.
Although Mohammed Siraj claimed both Parag (36 off 26) and Hetmyer (26 off 14), RR required just a run-a-ball. Rovman Powell ensured no further drama as he finished the match in the penultimate over with two fours and a six.
This thrilling encounter sets RR up for yet another high-octane match against Kolkata Knight Riders. As the IPL 2024 heads to Chennai for Qualifier 2, fans around the world eagerly await the continuing drama of the world’s premier T20 league.