It was the sensational first over when Trent Boult dished out two golden ducks that set the tone for the Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) win. While other pacers kept the pressure on, leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal with his four-wicket haul once again weaved his magic, putting Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) to the sword and lead the Royals to a three-run win in Mumbai on Sunday.
Marcus Stoinis’ cameo of an unbeaten 38 off 17 balls threatened to take the game away from the Royals, but young pacer Kuldeep Sen, entrusted with the responsibility to defend 15, in the last over, kept his nerves and sealed the deal for his team.
It was courtesy Shimron Hetmyer’s dazzling 59 not out off 36 balls that Royals reached a respectable 165/6 after which the bowlers rose to the occasion.
Earlier, demons of the previous outing at the Wankhede Stadium came back to haunt the Rajasthan Royals on Sunday night. Unable to get going once again at the same venue after being put into bat first, Royals looked clueless in their attempt to overcome the challenges of the pitch and dexterity of Lucknow bowlers.
The only sparkle in an otherwise timid batting effort was Hetmyer’s quality hitting.
Hetmyer paced his innings smartly after taking the crease in the 10th over. He took his time to read the conditions before exploding to move from 17 off 20 balls in the 15th over to 59 off 36 in the 20th.
The 25-year-old Guyanese batter’s knock was studded with six sixes and a four.
