Jaipur, Apr 13 (UNI) A high-quality innings from Yashasvi Jaiswal and a power-packed finish from Dhruv Jurel helped Rajasthan Royals post a competitive 173 for 4 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Match 28 of the Indian Premier League at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium here on Sunday.
Put into bat, RR were anchored by the elegant left-hander Jaiswal, who struck a sublime 75 off 47 balls laced with 10 boundaries and two sixes. His innings provided the backbone of the RR innings, as he held firm even when wickets fell at the other end.
Sanju Samson (15 off 19), who never looked fluent, was the first to fall, stumped by Jitesh Sharma off Krunal Pandya in the seventh over. That ended a 49-run opening stand. Samson's dismissal reflected his struggle to get going, and Krunal's smart change of pace brought the reward.
Jaiswal, meanwhile, was at his fluent best. He found boundaries with ease, including a clever reverse sweep off Suyash Sharma, a fine-leg scoop off Josh Hazlewood that drew comparisons to Rishabh Pant, and a thumping straight six off Yash Dayal. He brought up his half-century—his third at this venue and 11th overall in IPL, with a clip to mid-wicket in the 13th over.
He stitched a solid 56-run partnership with Riyan Parag (30 off 22), who brought his own flair to the middle overs with a mix of wristy flicks and late cuts. Parag, however, fell against the run of play, mistiming a slower ball from Dayal to Virat Kohli at cover.
Jaiswal's own innings came to an end in the 16th over when he missed a sweep against Hazlewood and was trapped plumb in front. A desperate review did not help, and his departure briefly dented RR's momentum.
But the death overs belonged to Jurel. The young keeper-batsman launched a spirited counterattack, striking 35* off 23 balls. He struck a mighty six off Dayal's slower ball down the ground and followed it up with a pulled four behind square. A pulled boundary off Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the 19th over further punctuated his authority.
Shimron Hetmyer (9 off 8) briefly threatened before falling to a well-judged catch by Devdutt Padikkal at deep mid-wicket, battling the sun to complete the dismissal off Bhuvneshwar. The veteran pacer also bore the brunt of Nitish Rana's late cameo, as the left-hander finished the innings with a lofted boundary over cover.
Rana's unbeaten 4* and Jurel’s finish helped RR add 44 runs in the final four overs, giving them late momentum.
For RCB, Bhuvneshwar (4-0-32-1) and Krunal Pandya (4-0-29-1) were tidy, while Hazlewood (3-0-26-1) and Dayal (4-0-36-1) picked up key wickets. However, Suyash's expensive spell (4-0-39-0) allowed RR to regain initiative during the middle overs.
Earlier, Phil Salt and the fielders had moments to remember and forget, Salt saving five runs with a sensational leap at the boundary, but also conceding a few due to misfields.
RR ended on a strong note at 173/4 in 20 overs, setting RCB a target of 174 under lights.
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