An outstanding all-round display by the Rajasthan Royals (RR) saw them triumph by four wickets against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the pulsating Eliminator of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, held at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. This victory propels RR into Qualifier 2, where they will face off against the formidable Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
The encounter kicked off with Rajasthan winning the toss and opting to bowl first. What ensued was a fascinating contest, where RCB’s innings promised a grand total on several occasions. However, no batsman could manage to turn their solid starts into substantial scores, primarily due to Rajasthan’s disciplined bowling attack that disrupted RCB’s momentum at crucial junctures.
Trent Boult set the tone early for Rajasthan with a spectacular opening spell, proving economical with only six runs conceded from his three overs and claiming the vital wicket of Faf du Plessis for 17. While Boult was tightening things up at one end, his fellow pacer Sandeep Sharma gave away 12 runs in the second over. Subsequently, Avesh Khan entered the fray in the fourth over, and Virat Kohli greeted him with a formidable pull shot for a maximum.
The breakthrough for RR came in the fifth over as Boult dismissed du Plessis, who was caught brilliantly by Rovman Powell, diving forward at deep mid-wicket. RCB, having placed Cameron Green at No. 3 above Rajat Patidar, ended the powerplay at 50 for one. Yuzvendra Chahal was introduced into the attack in the eighth over. Kohli, attempting to accelerate the run rate, miscued a shot to mid-wicket and was dismissed for 33, marking a crucial wicket for RR.
The middle phase of RCB’s innings saw an intriguing battle unfold. While Cameron Green looked to dominate Chahal, Patidar seemed content to find his rhythm. Meanwhile, Ravichandran Ashwin’s pivotal spell during the middle overs kept RCB on a leash, building pressure that eventually coerced the batsmen into taking unwarranted risks. Patidar had a stroke of luck when a straightforward chance was grassed at long-on. However, Green (27 off 21 deliveries) soon perished, holing out to cover, with Powell again taking a decisive catch. Glenn Maxwell followed suit the very next delivery, skying it to long-on, where it was safely pouched.
. By the 13th over, RCB were reeling at 97 for four.
Patidar, having found his range, smashed two sixes in the space of seven balls, providing RCB some impetus. However, Avesh Khan broke through once more as Patidar mis-hit one to mid-off for a score of 34 in the 15th over. Dinesh Karthik’s entry to the crease saw an early scare with a leg-before appeal, initially given out but overturned on review.
In the slog overs, Mahipal Lomror’s aggressive batting became the focal point for RCB’s push towards a defendable score. Lomror’s quickfire 32 off 17 balls helped RCB cross the 160 mark, and some useful contributions from Swapnil Singh and Karn Sharma, yielding crucial boundaries, saw RCB post a competitive 172.
Rajasthan’s chase began cautiously as the RCB bowlers seemed to extract assistance from the pitch. The initial quiet spell was broken by Yashaswi Jaiswal, who dispatched Yash Dayal for four boundaries in the third over, one being an edged chance dropped at first slip. The RR openers took charge, building a steady 46-run opening partnership. The breakthrough eventually came for RCB in the form of Lockie Ferguson, who bowled Tom Kohler-Cadmore with a deceptive slower delivery for 20.
Sanju Samson and Jaiswal kept the chase on track with timely boundaries. The latter edged into the 40s before a misjudged scoop attempt against Green led to his downfall. Samson didn’t last much longer, stumped after charging Karn Sharma off a wide delivery for 17 runs, shifting the chase responsibilities to Riyan Parag.
Despite a hiccup with Dhruv Jurel’s smart run-out thanks to Virat Kohli’s throw, Parag remained calm and, alongside Shimron Hetmyer – Rajasthan’s Impact Player – executed a well-calculated attack on the RCB bowlers. Needing 48 off the final five overs, Hetmyer opened the onslaught with a towering six off Green, and Parag followed up by lofting a cover six and threading one through third-man for four, erasing any Run-rate concerns.
Though Mohammed Siraj dismissed both Parag (36 from 26) and Hetmyer (26 off 14), the equation was reduced to a run-a-ball requirement. Rovman Powell ensured no further drama, sealing the win in the penultimate over with a flourish that included two boundaries and a towering six.
With this commendable performance, Rajasthan Royals move on to the next stage, ready to face the Kolkata Knight Riders in Chennai, hoping to maintain their winning momentum in the quest for the IPL title.