Yashasvi Jaiswal hit five boundaries to open Rajasthan's batting against Delhi, and Trent Boult accepted the challenge - picking two wickets to open Rajasthan's bowling as the team cruised to a 57-run victory over David Warner's side in Match 11 of the 2023 IPL. With two victories in three outings, Rajasthan are now the top team in the IPL standings.
Both openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler smashed half-centuries and Shimron Hetmyer provided the finishing touches to propel Rajasthan to 199/4 after which Boult and Chahal starred in a disciplined bowling show, picking 3/29 and 3/27 to restrict Delhi to 142/9 in 20 overs, with captain David Warner's 65 the lone bright spot in a dull batting show.
Boult gave Rajasthan a cracking start by taking out impact player Prithvi Shaw and Manish Pandey on successive deliveries. While Shaw was caught behind as Sanju Samson flung himself in front of first slip to snap one with his right mitt, Pandey was trapped lbw by a fuller delivery angled in. The batter went for a review, but went in vain as replays showed the ball crashing into leg-stump.
Warner hammered four boundaries off pacers and Ravichandran Ashwin, with Rilee Rossouw getting a brace of fours through the off-side against the fast bowlers. Delhi had another jolt in the power-play when Rilee Rossouw reverse swept and found the fielder at cover off Ashwin.
Warner and Lalit Yadav tried to steady the ship for Delhi, with the latter being the more aggressive of the two with reverse-sweeps off Chahal while slicing, pulling and lofting off the fast bowlers. The 64-run stand came to an end when Yadav missed a hoick and was castled by Boult in the 13th over.
Axar Patel, promoted to counter the spin challenge from Chahal, was easily stumped from behind off the leg-spinner. Though Warner got his fifty in 44 balls, Delhi continued to fall as Rovman Powell holed out to deep mid-wicket off Ashwin.
Warner was caught at cover off Murugan Ashwin in the 17th over, but was called a no-ball as Jaiswal was standing two inches outside the 30-yard circle in a fielding restriction violation. Chahal then took out Warner and Abishek Porel in a span of five balls in the 19th over as Rajasthan signed off from the Guwahati leg of home games on a high.
Earlier, openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler smashed half-centuries while Shimron Hetmyer provided the finishing touch to propel Rajasthan Royals to 199/4.
Jaiswal and Buttler slammed 14 boundaries in the first six overs to reach 68 runs in the powerplay. Their stand was 98 runs before Jaiswal fell for a sparkling 60. From there, Delhi clawed back through their spinners in the middle overs.
At 130/3 in 15 overs, Rajasthan seemed to have squandered a great start till Buttler, who made 79 and Hetmyer, unbeaten on 39, got 69 runs in the last five overs to take Rajasthan to one short of 200.
Jaiswal began by showing his range of shots against Khaleel Ahmed in the opening over. A pull over midwicket was followed by a cut through deep third man (and aided by a misfield). He then drove through extra cover, chipped over long-on, and steered over short third man to take five boundaries.
Buttler joined the boundary-hitting party by driving, slashing and punching to take three boundaries off Anrich Nortje in the second over. Buttler had a life when he was on 18 in the fourth over when Nortje went running from mid-on and covered great ground, but couldn't hold on to the catch as Rajasthan brought up their fifty in just four overs.
Jaiswal continued to be exquisite in his stroke-play, taking three boundaries off Axar Patel through a switch-hit, cut and sweep. He continued to take runs off the left-arm spinner, cutting through the off-side and followed it up with a gentle flick between deep mid-wicket and long-on to reach his fifty in 25 balls.
While Buttler took two boundaries off Kuldeep Yadav in the eighth over, Jaiswal cracked the first six of the match by launching him high over long-off. The rollicking 86-run opening partnership came to an end when Jaiswal came down the pitch for a cross-bat shot off a bouncer from Mukesh Kumar, but gave a top-edge for the bowler to complete a simple caught and bowled dismissal.
Delhi bounced back through two quick wickets -- Sanju Samson fell for a four-ball duck, after holing out to long-on off Kuldeep, while Riyan Parag, playing in his 50th IPL game, completely missed a slower delivery from Rovman Powell to see his stumps in disarray.
But Buttler marched forward to get his fifty in 31 balls by pulling Axar over cow corner for six. He then broke a spell of 20 boundary-less balls with back-to-back fours off Mukesh. Hetmyer began giving finishing touches with loft and drive off Powell for six and four respectively.
Buttler used Nortje's pace to lap over long leg, before hitting him down the ground to make it two fours off the 18th over. His knock came to an end in the next over when Mukesh took a return catch on rebound after a juggle.
After Dhruv Jurel whipped Mukesh over mid-wicket for six, Hetmyer smashed Nortje for sixes over mid-wicket and long-off to take Rajasthan to 199/4.
(With inputs from IANS)
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