The TATA IPL 2023 started with a bang, and it went crazy as Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals faced each other at Barsapara Cricket Stadium. This rivalry is special because, since 2019, both teams never failed to score less than 170 runs in the first inning. The stage was set as Rajasthan Royals won the toss and asked the Kings to bat first.
Prabhsimran and Dhawan came out to bat and didn’t disappoint the spectators and fans out there. Prabhsimran had made this clear from the very first over that he was not just gonna hang around. He smashed the entire bowling lineup flawlessly. At the end of the powerplay, Punjab Kings were in a commanding position as they scored 63 without any loss. Prabhsimran Singh scored his well-deserved maiden half-century in just 28 balls.
The partnership was finally broken by Jason Holder, with Jos Butler taking a diving catch and sending Prabhsimran back to the pavilion. He scored a blistering 60 runs in just 34 balls with the help of 7 boundaries and 3 sixes. Rajapaksa joined Shikhar in the Middle but got hit by a dead straight shot from the skipper on the non-striker’s end. He eventually got retired hurt, and Jitesh Sharma came to the crease. Rajasthan thought that they had got rid of Prabhsimran and Rajapaksa, but Shikhar Dhawan didn’t let them take a breath of patience.
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Dhawan, along with Jitesh, built a strong partnership and scored yet another half-century. Jitesh was finally dismissed by Yuzi Chahal as he scored good 27 runs in 14 balls with the help of 2 boundaries and a six. Ashwin was brought back to the attack, and he didn’t disappoint either, he cleaned up Sikandar Raza on just 1 and brought smiles to the faces in the dugout. On the other hand, Gabbar kept following his game plan and took Punjab Kings to a great total of 197. He scored 86 not out in 56 balls with 9 Boundaries and 3 maximums. Jason Holder’s 2 for 25 and Ravi Ashwin’s 1 for 25 helped the royals to minimize the fireworks.
Any rivalry in the world is incomplete without surprises, and Rajasthan Royals decided to do the same by sending R. Ashwin with Yashasvi Jaiswal. The run chase began in style as Yashasvi smashed Sam Curran for a Six on the very first ball of the inning. The royal army was hoping for some more shots, but Arshdeep Singh sent Yashasvi back to the pavilion on 11 runs. Promoting Ashwin didn’t come out as a successful plan, as he was done on 0 by Arshdeep. Butler and Samson had all the hope, Butler started playing his shots, and Sam Curran almost got his wickets, but it was Harpreet Brar who dropped an easy catch in the deep.
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The mistake didn’t cost as much as fans expected it to because Nathan Ellis sent Jos Butler to the dugout with a good caught & bowled. Sanju continued from where he finished in the last game and took his team to score 57 runs in the powerplay. Sanju Samson and Devdutt Padikkal were building a partnership, but Nathan Ellis came again to bowl the 11th over and took Sanju Samson’s wicket. Rajasthan was in deep trouble when Sanju left the crease by scoring 42 runs in just 25 balls with the help of 5 boundaries and a six.
Then Dhruv Jurel worked his wizardry, and the Royals never really seemed to be out of the game. The impact player not only established his value in his first IPL appearance but also showed off his range and tenacity during his 15-ball 32.
Nathan Ellis was awarded Man of the Match for his outstanding performance with the ball.
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