IPL 2023, PBKS seal final-over thriller against RR: Key stats
Punjab Kings beat Rajasthan Royals in the eighth match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 in Guwahati. They defended 197/4 to clinch the final-over thriller. Sam Curran ended RR's bid to chase 16 runs in the final over. Nevertheless, cameos from Dhruv Jurel (32*) and Shimron Hetmyer (36) grabbed eyeballs. Nathan Ellis took a four-fer, while Shikhar Dhawan and Prabhsimran Singh slammed half-centuries.
How did the match pan out?
PBKS were off to a flier after Sanju Samson elected to field. Prabhsimran and Dhawan added 63/0 in the first six overs (Powerplay). Both Prabhsimran and Dhawan scored half-centuries to power PBKS's innings. Jitesh Sharma also fired a 16-ball 27 as the Kings compiled 197/4. RR suffered a top-order collapse before Samson slammed 42. Although Jurel and Hetmyer fired, RR fell five runs short.
Most T20 runs for RR
RR skipper Samson joined in the middle after Yashasvi Jaiswal departed (13/1). He counter-attacked even though the Royals continued to lose wickets. Samson was eventually dismissed on 42 off 25 balls. His fiery knock went in vain. Samson now has the most runs for RR in T20 cricket (3,138). He surpassed Ajinkya Rahane's tally of 3,098 runs.
Dhawan leads from the front
PBKS skipper Dhawan, who was dealing in singles initially, shifted gears once his opening partner Prabhsimran departed. He accelerated in the middle overs, completing his half-century off 36 balls. As stated, Dhawan now has 50 scores of fifty-plus in the IPL. He has become just the third player after David Warner and Virat Kohli with this feat. Dhawan managed 86* off 56 balls.
48th fifty for Dhawan
Dhawan struck his 48th half-century in the IPL. He also has two tons in the tournament. His compatriot Kohli has 45 fifties and five centuries. Warner, who leads the list, owns 56 fifties and four hundreds in the cash-rich league.
Most IPL runs vs RR
Dhawan is now the highest run-scorer against RR in the IPL. He overtook AB de Villiers, who owns 652 runs from 22 matches against the Royals. Dhawan now tops the list with 662 runs from 23 matches at an average of 33.10. He slammed his seventh half-century against the Royals, the second-most after that of de Villiers (8).
Maiden IPL fifty for Prabhsimran
Prabhsimran was on song right from the start. He exhibited his array of shots in the Powerplay. The presence of Dhawan at the opposite end allowed the former to break free. Prabhsimran raced to his half-century in the eighth over off just 28 balls. It was his maiden half-century in the cash-rich league. Prabhsimran finished with 60 off 34 balls (4s: 7, 6s: 3).
Chahal overtakes Lasith Malinga
Yuzvendra Chahal was the second-most expensive bowler in the first innings, having leaked 50 runs in four overs. He dismissed Jitesh Sharma toward the end of his spell. With this, Chahal overtook legend Lasith Malinga (170) in terms of IPL wickets. Chahal, with 171 wickets, is only behind star all-rounder Dwayne Bravo (183) on the wickets column.
Nathan Ellis records his career-best IPL figures
PBKS seamer Nathan Ellis was the standout bowler of the match. Despite being expensive at the start, Ellis made inroads in the RR batting line-up. He dismissed Jos Buttler, Samson, Devdutt Padikkal, and Riyan Parag to complete his maiden four-wicket haul in the IPL. Ellis has now registered his career-best figures in the cash-rich league (4/30).
