Mumbai, May 16 (IANS): Clinical bowling by Trent Boult (2/18), Prasidh Krishna (2/33) and Obed McCoy (2/35) after useful knocks by Yashasvi Jaiswal (41), Sanju Samson (32) and Devdutt Padikkal helped Rajasthan Royals beat Lucknow Super Giants by 24 runs in Match 63 of the IPL 2022 at the Brabourne Stadium here on Sunday.
Boult came out firing and claimed the wickets of Quinton de Kock and Ayush Badoni of the first two deliveries of the second over and though Lucknow Super Giants recovered thanks to a fighting half-century by half-century by Deepak Hooda, his effort went in vain as LSG succumbed to the clinical bowling.
Chasing 179 for a victory that would have secured them the second spot in the points table, Lucknow were in trouble at 29/3 in the 6th over after skipper KL Rahul was out for 10 off 19 deliveries -- caught by Jaiswal off Prasidh Krishna. Hooda (59 off 39 balls) came to their rescue as he held one end up, raising 65 runs for the fourth wicket partnership with Krunal Pandya (25 off 23 balls), they could manage 154/8 in 20 overs, losing their second successive match.
The win took Rajasthan to the second spot in the points table with 16 points, the same as Lucknow Super Giants, but with an inferior net run rate.
Hooda and Pandya kept Lucknow's hopes alive as they stitched a good partnership. But the rate of scoring was not as high as they would have loved and LSG was always playing the catch-up game.
After Pandya was out to an excelled relay catch by Riyan Parag after Jos Buttler had pouched the ball at long-off and threw it up in the air before falling over the boundary rope. Parag completed the catch off Ravi Ashwin as Lucknow Super Giants slumped to 94/4 in the 14th over.
Hooda, who struck Yuzvendra Chahal for a six and four off successive deliveries in the 11th over and had pulled a short one on leg-side by Obed McCoy for a six earlier in his innings, kept plugging for runs as he kept Lucknow Super Giants in the hunt despite the soaring asking rate. He completed his half-century off33 balls, hitting four boundaries and two sixes.
Hooda was out trying to shore up the scoring as he jumped out to Chahal and Rajasthan skipper Sanju Samson completing the stumping despite a fumble. Hooda was out for 59 off 39 deliveries, hitting five boundaries and two sixes. Lucknow needed 63 runs off 24 balls and the task got further difficult with the fall of each wicket as Rajasthan Royals bowled and fielded well.
From 63 off 24 balls, LSG progressed to 34 off the last six deliveries and Marcus Stoinis (27) hammered Prasidh Krishna for a six off the first ball but holed out to the next, ending their hopes.
Trent Boult was the best Rajasthan bowler on the day with 2/18 off four overs while Prasidh Krishna (2/33) and Obed McCoy 2/35 were also among wickets.
Rajasthan's par score of 178/6 in 20 overs was built on useful knocks by Yashasvi Jaiswal (41 off 29 balls), skipper Sanju Samson (32 off 24), and Devdutt Padikkal (39 off 18), who got starts but could not go on to score a big one.
Earlier, Rajasthan suffered an early setback as their top batter, Jos Buttler, who leads the chart for most runs with 627 runs including three centuries, was out with the score 11. Jaiswal and Samson added 64 runs for the second wicket but both got out when they were looking good for a bigger score -- Jaiswal top-edging a skier to bowler Ayush Badoni and Samson holing out to Deepak Hooda off Jason Holder.
Jaiswal rescued them with a superb knock during which he struck six boundaries and a six to keep the Rajasthan Royals going. He shared a 64-run partnership with skipper Sanju Samson (32) and 26 with Padikkal before he was out, top-edging a catch off a length ball outside off and offering bowler Ayush Badoni a simple catch. Jaiswal hammered Dushmantha Chameera for four and a six off successive deliveries after blasting a four off a no-ball (overstepping) and hitting a wide one by the Sri Lankan bowler for a boundary -- the sixth over from Chameera costing 21 runs to LSG. He made the most of a catch dropped by Mohsin Khan at short fin-leg off Avesh Khan in the previous over.
Padikkal kept the Rajasthan Royals going with an 18-ball 39, hitting five boundaries and two sixes before he was out, caught by Krunal Pandya off Ravi Bishnoi. Riyan Parag (19 off 16), Jimmy Neesham (14 off 12) and Trent Boult (17 not out off 9) ensured Rajasthan Royals reached a par total.
Ravi Bishnoi was the most successful bowler for LSG with 2/31 while AVeshKhan (1/20), Jason Holder (1/12), and Ayush Badoni (1/5) were the other successful LSG bowlers.
Brief scores: Rajasthan Royals 178/6 in 20 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 41, Devdutt Padikkal 39, Sanju Samson 32; Ravi Bishnoi 2/31) beat Lucknow Super Giants 154/8 in 20 overs (Deepak Hooda 59, Krunal Pandya 25, Marcus Stoinis 27; Trent Boult 2/18, Prasidh Krishna 2/33, Obed McCoy 2/35) by 24 runs.