What a game. What a nerve-wracking game we just witnessed in IPL 2020. Rajasthan Royals pulled off the greatest run chase in the history of IPL. Though Samson (85) and Smith (50) anchored their innings, it was Rahul Tewatia (53) who turned the match with a mind-blowing show. His run rate was below 100 until the 17th over. Suddenly he scored 30 runs in the 18th over and changed the game. As a result, Rajasthan chased a total of 224 in 19.3 overs. KL Rahul (69) and Mayank Agarwal (106) were the ones who shined for Punjab in the first half of the game.
Kings XI Punjab came into bat after being invited by Rajasthan Royals. Just like the last two games, they got a stunning opening partnership from their openers Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul. There were attacking the bowlers right from the initial overs. Due to that, their run rate was always near 10. Both of them made 183 runs together which is the third-highest opening partnership in the history of IPL. Mayank got dismissed by Tom Curran in the 17th over. In the very next over, Ankit Rajpoot dismissed KL Rahul. Glenn Maxwell and Nicholas Pooran made smacking cameos in the last two overs and made their team end the innings with a score of 223/2.
Rajasthan Royals got an early setback while chasing this mammoth total. Their star striker Buttler fell by making only 4 runs. But Steve Smith and Sanju Samson played a superb game and kept their team alive in the chase. Finally, Smith got dismissed in the 9th over. As they were a batsman short, the entire responsibility fell on the shoulders of Sanju Samson. On the other end, Rahul Tewatia played a painful innings. It was Shami who removed Samson in the 17th over. In the very next over, Tewatia shifted the gears and scored 30 runs. His blistering redemption changed the course of the match. Eventually, RR was able to chase the total by scoring 226/6 in the last over. Rajasthan scored 53 runs in the last three overs.
Scorecard:
Kings XI Punjab: 223/2 (M Agarwal 106, KL Rahul 69, A Rajpoot 1/39)
Rajasthan Royals: 226/6 (S Samson 85, R Tewatia 53, M Shami 3/53