It took six excellent deliveries in the last over to save a cause that had appeared lost for nearly the entire previous 19 overs. With eight wickets in hand, Kartik Tyagi got the ball for the last over with Punjab Kings needing four runs to win. Much earlier, post-mortems for another lacklustre Rajasthan Royals performance had begun.
The 20-year-old from Hapur, on the other hand, had not read the screenplay. With steely nerves, he went on to produce one of the greatest comebacks in IPL history, as Royals scraped home by two runs despite being a distant second for much the whole chase.
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Fearless execution
Punjab Kings needed eight runs from their final two overs to win. Tyagi had something to defend in the 20th over, thanks to Mustafizur Rahman's four wickets. Nicholas Pooran and Aiden Markram didn't take any chances, believing that smart batting would get them through.
Tyagi's previous three overs had all yielded 28 runs. Despite his apparent talent and promise, the challenge seemed too much for him on a night when Royals' star signing Chris Morris went for 47 runs in four overs. The Uttar Pradesh lad, on the other hand, shown that he can handle pressure. Markram mishandled a full throw first pitch, allowing the fielder to reach short cover. The next ball resulted in a single to fine leg. Then came the game-changing moment, when Pooran tried to locate the third-man line from behind. Deepak Hooda, the newcomer, attempted to connect with his stumps but was caught behind. It was left to Fabian Allen to grab three off the final pitch, but his bat collided with fresh air as Tyagi delivered his yorker.
Yashasvi When Jaiswal used to play in the IPL, he was often like a deer caught in the headlights. The forced pause could have helped the opening. Jaiswal's playing appears to have taken on a more aggressive tone. In Mohammed Shami's first over, he made his intentions clear.
He found his range for a boundary off a similar shot after a play-and-miss on an attempted cut shot. And when the star India seamer went for a short one on the body, Jaiswal didn't back down, instead going up and over square-leg for another four.
The other experienced bowler in the Punjab Kings lineup, Adil Rashid, was making his IPL debut, yet he was treated with little respect. His class was demonstrated with a reverse-swept four and a hit straight down the ground. Jaiswal, on the other hand, went out on a leading edge in search of a single to go to 50. It led in the Royals leaving a few runs on the table, as their lower-middle order faded away following Lomror (43 off 17 balls).
Brief scores:
Rajasthan Royals 185 all out in 20 overs (Y Jaiswal 49, M Lomror 43, E Lewis 36; A Singh 5/32, M Shami 3/21) beat Punjab Kings (M Agarwal 67, KL Rahul 49; K Tyagi 2/29) by 2 runs.