Rajasthan Royals have pulled off their biggest win of the 2023 IPL season, beating Kolkata Knight Riders by 9 wickets, with 41 balls remaining, to climb to the third spot in the points table with 12 points from 12 matches.
Big records were created in both innings of Thursday night's match for Rajastahn as Yuzvendra Chahal became the highest wicket-taker in the tournament’s history during his haul of 4/25 and Yashasvi Jaiswal smashed the tournament's fastest half century, scoring his fifty off just 13 deliveries.
Jaiswal was sparkling in his strokeplay, combining bravado and fearless approach to hit 13 fours and five sixes at a strike-rate of 208.51. He also shared an unbroken 121-run stand off 69 balls for the second wicket with Sanju Samson, who finished at 48 not out off 29 balls.
Chahal's Historic Bowling Outing
On a slow pitch, Kolkata's Jason Roy began by steering Boult through point and lofting a drive over cover to collect two boundaries. In the third over, Roy flicked off Boult, but Shimron Hetmyer ran to his right from deep square leg and took a terrific jumping catch on the edge of the boundary.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz smacked Sandeep for lofted sixes over mid-off and extra-cover in the fourth over. But in the next over, his mistimed drive on the up off Boult was caught by Sandeep running to his right and diving to take the catch at mid-off.
Post power-play, Rajasthan kept Kolkata on a tight leash by off-spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Joe Root. But Venkatesh, who was struggling for momentum, slog-swept and lofted inside-out over long-off against Ashwin in the tenth over for back-to-back sixes, before Nitish Rana ended the 18-run over with a drive past extra cover for four.
Chahal struck for Rajasthan in the next over, having Rana slog-sweeping straight to diving backward square leg and becoming the leading wicket-taker in history of IPL. But Venkatesh took the leg-spinner to cleaners in his next over, clearing long-off for six, before pulling and driving with ease for two fours.
After Andre Russell smacked KM Asif over long-off for six, the pacer bounced back by cramping the big-hitter for room and cutting straight to backward point. Venkatesh stormed to his fifty in 40 balls by thumping Asif over long-off for six.
But Chahal took him out in the 17th over as the left-hander skied a wide delivery to cover, followed by the leg-spinner trapping Shardul Thakur lbw on review. He returned in the 19th over to have Rinku Singh holing out to long-off, before Sandeep had Sunil Narine dismissed in a similar manner on the last ball.
Rajasthan's Chase
The 21-year old Jaiswal kick-started the chase of 150 in spectacular fashion, dancing down the pitch to loft Nitish Rana over long-on for six, followed by slog-sweeping for another maximum. His opening over onslaught continued when he danced down the pitch to drive past mid-off and cut fiercely twice to hit three fours, picking 26 runs off the over.
Though Jos Buttler was run-out for a duck, Jaiswal got a four thanks to an overthrow, and then hooked Harshit Rana for six. He went on to smash Shardul Thakur for three consecutive fours through mid-off, deep mid-wicket and cover, before taking a single to reach his fifty in 13 balls.
Post that, there was no stopping Jaiswal as he hammered a drive off Varun Chakaravarthy for four, followed by cutting and heaving off Harshit for a brace of boundaries. There was no respite in store for Kolkata as Samson pulled and whipped off Chakaravarthy for six and four respectively.
Jaiswal brought out the shot of the innings by backing away to loft inside-out over the extra-cover boundary off Sunil Narine in the seventh over, followed by pulling Suyash Sharma for another maximum.
Nothing went Kolkata's way as Samson was dropped by Narine off his own bowling, followed by the right-hander slapping Suyash for four and carting Anukul Roy for three sixes over the bowler's head.
While Samson thumped Chakaravarthy for six, Jaiswal brought out sweep, reverse-sweep for two boundaries, before finishing off the chase with another sweep off Thakur for a four to be 98 not out.
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