IPL 2023: All-round Royals punish Knight Riders at Eden Gardens
An all-round Rajasthan Royals handed Kolkata Knight Riders one of their worst defeats in Indian Premier League history. RR restricted KKR to just 149/8 as Yuzvendra Chahal claimed figures worth 4/25. And then, Yashasvi Jaiswal hammered Nitish Rana for 26 in the first over of RR's innings to set the tone. Sanju Samson showed his class as Royals broke a plethora of records.
RR tame KKR, who failed to turn up
KKR were off to a poor start before Venkatesh Iyer and Rana resurrected the innings. Chahal came in and was right on the money as KKR lost wickets at key intervals. A solid bowling and fielding effort helped RR keep the Knights in check. In response, a whirlwind knock from Yashasvi and Samson's brilliance helped RR seal the deal.
Chahal becomes the highest wicket-taker in IPL history
Chahal (4/25) became the highest wicket-taker in IPL history. Chahal was tied with Dwayne Bravo (183 wickets) heading into the contest. He dismissed KKR skipper Rana in the 11th over, to record the milestone. Chahal has raced to 187 wickets in 143 IPL appearances, displacing Bravo. Chahal now has six four-wicket hauls in the IPL. His only fifer (5/40) came against KKR in 2022.
Key numbers for Chahal
Chahal, who joined RR in the IPL 2022 mega auction, has raced to 48 scalps in just his second season. He is now the fourth-highest wicket-taker for RR, surpassing James Faulkner's tally of 47. Chahal is also the second-highest wicket-taker against KKR (28). In IPL 2023, he owns 21 wickets in 12 matches at 16.89. He has an economy rate of 7.91.
Venkatesh Iyer smashes his seventh IPL fifty
Venkatesh Iyer scored a crucial 57 for KKR. Iyer managed two fours and four sixes, striking at 135.71. In IPL 2023, he owns 371 runs at 30.92, slamming one ton and two fifties. Overall, Iyer has scored 923 runs across three seasons at 28.84. He smacked his seventh IPL fifty. In the 20-over format, Iyer has managed 2,144 runs, registering his 12th fifty.
Yashasvi Jaiswal smashes the fastest IPL fifty
Rajasthan Royals opener Yashasvi hammered the fastest fifty in Indian Premier League history. He got to his fifty, having faced 13 balls. He broke the record of KL Rahul and Pat Cummins, who took 14 balls each to get to this mark before. Yashasvi remained unbeaten on 98 from 47 balls, hammering 13 fours and five sixes. He struck at 208.51.
Massive records for RR and Yashasvi
As per Cricbuzz, the 26 runs RR managed in their first over, is the second-best tally in IPL and the best without extras. Yashasvi smashed the joint-fourth-highest runs by an individual in the powerplay of an IPL inning. Suresh Raina (87) holds the record.
Yashasvi races to 575 runs in IPL 2023
Yashasvi became the second player in IPL 2023 season to surpass 500 runs. He now has 575 runs at 52.27. He registered his fourth IPL fifty this season, besides also owning a ton. Faf du Plessis (576) leads the chart.
Key individual numbers registered by RR players
Yashasvi has now raced to 1,122 runs in the IPL at 33.00. He smashed his seventh IPL fifty. Samson slammed 48* (4s: 2, 6s: 5). He now has 356 runs in IPL 2023. Overall, he has 3,834 IPL runs, besides surpassing 300 fours (301). Trent Boult claimed two scalps for RR. As per ESPNcricinfo, Boult now owns 49 wickets in the powerplay overs.
