Rajasthan Royals did well to defend 166 at Wankhede Stadium to win their third game of Indian Premier League 2022. Lucknow Super Giants could only manage 162/8, with only Quinton de Kock and Marcus Stoinis scoring more than 30. Against what seemed a lost cause, Stoinis revived the chase with a blazing cameo, scoring 38 in 17 balls. Earlier, Shimron Hetmyer's 36-ball 59 and R. Ashwin's 28 helped Rajasthan post 165/6.
Rajasthan Royals 165/6 in 20 overs
Rajasthan left out Yashasvi Jaiswal and Navdeep Saini for Rassie van der Dussen and uncapped Kuldeep Sen. They sent Devdutt Padikkal to open the innings alongside Jos Buttler. The openers got Rajasthan off to a flying start, adding 39 runs in the first four overs.
Dushmantha Chameera and Avesh Khan then pulled back things with disciplined bowling, as Rajasthan could only manage five runs in the last two overs of Powerplay. Avesh's first ball, an in-swinger, crashed into Buttler's stumps.
Rajasthan were unable to accelerate, and Jason Holder soon got Sanju Samson to reduce them to 60/2. That became 67/4, thanks to a double strike from Krishnappa Gowtham in his first over.
Hetmyer continued with his fine form. He hit six sixes and a four en route a 36-ball 59, taking Rajasthan to a par total. As overs ran out, Ashwin caused a stir by being the first batter in IPL history to retire out. He left to make way for Riyan Parag.
Despite starting well, Holder conceded 50 runs from his quota of four overs. Chameera, however, bowled a frugal spell, conceding only 22.
Lucknow Super Giants 162/8 in 20 overs
With just 166 to defend at Wankhede Stadium, Rajasthan needed early wickets to not let the game slip away. And Trent Boult provided exactly that, getting rid of K.L. Rahul and Gowtham with the first two balls of the innings. Prasidh Krishna then had Holder caught by Ashwin to reduce Lucknow to 14/3.
Deepak Hooda provided some resistance with his 24-ball 25 as Quinton de Kock held the fort, scoring 39 in 32 balls. He was also assisted by Krunal Pandya, who managed 22 before getting bowled by Yuzvendra Chahal.
When de Kock got out, the scoreboard read 101/6. Stoinis came out at this stage, and began to hit from the onset. With 34 needed in two overs, Stoinis struck two sixes to take 19 off the penultimate over, bowled by Prasidh.
Asked to defend 15 off the last over, Sen held his nerves and conceded just 11 to guide Rajasthan to a three-run win.
Brief scores:
Rajasthan Royals 165/6 in 20 overs (Shimron Hetmyer 59; Krishnappa Gowtham 2-30) beat Lucknow Super Giants 162/8 in 20 overs (Quinton de Kock 39; Yuzvendra Chahal 4-41) by 3 runs. Player of the Match: Shimron Hetmyer.