Punjab Kings handed Samson and co. a 5 runs loss in the IPL 2023. where they went on to put on a solid total of 198 in 20 overs. Rajasthan Royals came out to bat with a different opening pair this time. To everyone’s surprise, it was Ashwin alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Buttler came into bat at no.3. The decision to promote Ashwin as an opener proved to be unprofitable as he got out on 0. Jos Buttler came in at number 3 and could not do much damage to the Punjab bowling.
R Ashwin Opens For Rajasthan Royals
Nathan Ellis dismissed Buttler caught and bowled in a weird way. Ellis went on to pick up 4 wickets.
Samson said “It’s a high-scoring venue but we did a reasonably good job pulling them back after the Powerplay start they got. [On sending Ashwin in to open] Jos was not fit. He was getting stitches for his finger after the catch. The thinking was with Padikkal, they have two spinners, a left-arm and a leggie, and we wanted a lefty out there in the middle overs.”
Samson highlighted the reason for Buttler’s injury. He was injured while taking a catch of Shahrukh Khan. Rajasthan Royals’ side lost half their side inside 130 runs. Dhruv Jurel and Hetmyer brought things on track and nearly made it possible for RR to chase it down.
Chahal got a sub and Dhruv Jurel came in as an impact player. The Impact player displayed exactly the kind of knock RR needed. Rajasthan needed 16 runs to chase in the last over. Punjab Kings gave 10 runs in the final over, thanks to the most expensive buy in the history of IPL.
Although Sam Curran gave away 44 runs in 4 overs, his last over was crucial in deciding the winner. Rajasthan Royals played at Barsapara stadium for the first time. It was a debut for Barsapara Stadium in IPL, and the crowd loved every bit of this close thriller.
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