An all-round performance from Sam Curran handed RR their 4th consecutive loss before the playoffs as PBKS won by 5 wickets in Guwahati on May 15, Wednesday.
Curran picked up 2 wickets and scored 63 off 41 balls as Royals’ second half syndrome continued and they are at risk of losing a spot in the top two. The loss assured KKR off a top place finish on the IPL points table.
RR had won the toss on the day and opted to bat first in Guwahati. However, they didn’t have the best of starts as Yashasvi Jaiswal dragged one on to his stumps. Sanju Samson and the debuting Tom Kohler-Cadmore struggled in the powerplay overs as PBKS bowlers were disciplined in the first six. Samson would perish in the hope of getting the run-rate up and Kohler-Cadmore also soon followed him back to the pavilion.
The repair work in the innings was done by R Ashwin and Riyan Parag’s 50-run stand, but Ashwin’s wicket would once again cause a collapse to start in the batting order. Dhruv Jurel, Rovman Powell and Donovan Ferreira all failed to make a mark with the bat as Parag’s 48 proved to be the saving grace in the end as RR put on 144 for 9 in their 20 overs. Curran, Harshal Patel and Rahul Chahar would pick up 2 wickets each.
PBKS’ innings also started in similar fashion to the RR one as they lost Prabhsimran Singh early. Rilee Rossouw would score a blistering 22 as it seemed like Punjab was taking the game away from the Royals when Avesh Khan entered the fray. The pacer picked up Rossouw and Shashank Singh in the same over as PBKS was pegged back in the run-chase. Bairstow would also score 14 off 22 balls as Royals seemed to be in control of things.
Jitesh Sharma and Curran would steady the innings and took the attack to the RR bowlers as the duo would put on 63 runs as it seemed like PBKS was cruising to the win. However, the wicket of JItesh would bring RR into the contest.
But Curran and Ashutosh Sharma ensured PBKS got the win in the end as they moved away from the bottom of the table.
RR need solutions as the second half jinx continues
One of the things that seems to be synonymous with RR has been how they have fallen apart in the second half of the season. RR have been contenders in the past few seasons and reached the final in 2022. In 2023, they set the pace once again, only to falter in the end and miss out on the playoffs.
The 2024 season started with a lot of optimism as they would win 7 out of their first 8 matches. It seemed like RR would be the first team to make it to the playoffs and finish at the top of the table once the league phase was done. However, they have lost three matches on the trot before the PBKS result and slipped up as KKR overtook them and became the first season to qualify.
The second part of the IPL 2024 season has also seen inconsistency creep into the RR camp with the likes of Sanju Samson and Riyan Parag being the ones to maintain form. Both men have scored more than 500 runs this season. Even the bowling has seen issues with the likes of Trent Boult and R Ashwin not picking up a lot of wickets recently.
RR will now be looking over their shoulders as they could lose the second spot if SRH win both their remaining games with a big margin. This would mean Samson and co. will need to win big against KKR on May 19.
PBKS show fight with bowling
The PBKS bowling showed a lot of character and fight in Guwahati. Curran led from the front as they didn’t allow RR to get away in the powerplay and Rahul Chahar worked as the enforcer in the middle. The last few overs saw RR get just 34 runs and ended up scoring 144.
PBKS will now be without most of their foreign players with Bairstow, Curran leaving. Kagiso Rabada and Liam Livingstone have already left and they will be forced to bank on the Indian players to step up for their final match against SRH.
Punjab will be hoping Shikhar Dhawan will be ready for the clash at the Uppal.