Rajasthan Royals were on course to lose their fifth-straight game this season.
However, middle-order batsmen Riyan Parag and Rahul Tewatia bailed their team out by smashing 58 runs in 23 balls to take RR over the line against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Choosing to bat first, Sunrisers posted 158/4, courtesy Manish Pandey (54) and captain David Warner (48), on a slow wicket at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, 11 October.
In response, Rajasthan were reduced to 78/5 in 12 overs when Parag and Tewatia staged a fightback. The duo’s unbeaten 85-run stand helped RR reach their target with five wickets in hand and one ball remaining.
All eyes were on Ben Stokes, who was playing his first game of the season after completing his compulsory quarantine period. However, the all-rounder couldn’t leave a mark on the day, bowling just one over and getting out for 5.
With their third win this season, Rajasthan have climbed one spot to sixth, pushing Chennai Super Kings down to second-last in the standings.
Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Innings
An exceptional start by RR’s bowlers restricted SRH to 26/1 in the six Powerplay overs. Sanju Samson took a stunning catch in the deep to dismiss opener Jonny Bairstow off a delivery by Kartik Tyagi in the fifth over.
Number three batsman Manish Pandey and Warner steadied SRH’s ship with a 73-run stand. Pacer Jofra Archer eventually gave RR the breakthrough by cleaning up Warner for 48 (off 38 balls) in the 15th over, reducing SRH to 96/2.
Pandey carried the innings forward, and brought up his second half-century this season, and 17th overall in the league, off 40 deliveries. He added another 26 runs with Kane Williamson but was caught out at long-on after his 44-ball 54.
Williamson (12-ball 22*), along with Priyam Garg (8-ball 15) smashed 35 runs in the last two overs, pushing Sunrisers to a 150-plus score. Garg was run out on the final ball of the innings while trying to take a double.
Archer leaked just 6 runs in his first three overs, and finished with figures of 1/25. Kartik Tyagi (1/29) and Jaydev Unadkat (1/31) also picked up a wicket each. Stokes bowled just one over in the innings, and gave away seven runs in it.
Rajasthan Royals’ Innings
Rajasthan Royals lost three big batsmen – Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Steve Smith –early in their innings and were reduced to 26/3 in 4.1 overs.
Sent out to open the innings, Stokes was cleaned up by Khaleel Ahmed. Captain Smith was run out for 1 while opener Buttler (13-ball 16) followed him back to the hut after getting caught behind by wicketkeeper Bairstow off a delivery by Khaleel.
The new batsmen in, Sanju Samson and Robin Uthappa, stitched a 37-run stand. Rashid Khan broke the partnership by trapping Uthappa lbw for 18 and came back in his next over to dismiss Samson for 26 (off 25 balls).
Rajasthan Royals were 78/5, still needing 81 runs off 48 balls when Parag and Tewatia bailed them out.
Tewatia smashed a 28-ball 45 that included four boundaries and two sixes while Parag’s 26-ball 42 featured two maximums and two fours.
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