Twenty-year old Kartik Tyagi defended only four runs in the final over to produce the first thriller in the UAE leg of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 14. Chasing 186 to win on a classic batting surface in Dubai, Punjab Kings had the game covered. They needed eight runs in two overs with eight wickets to spare.
Mustafizur Rahman then bowled a phenomenal penultimate over, conceding just four, following which Tyagi took over with his range of wide yorkers. He bowled five dot balls and conceded a solitary run, and took the wickets of Nicholas Pooran and Deepak Hooda to keep Rajasthan’s Playoffs hopes alive with this two-run triumph.
Earlier in the evening, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Evin Lewis came out all guns blazing after K.L. Rahul won the toss and opted to field. The Rajasthan openers raced to 54 within the Powerplay before losing a wicket.
Lewis (36) was soon followed by captain Sanju Samson (4), Jaiswal went on, and Rajasthan looked set for a big score. Jaiswal fell one short of a maiden IPL half-century, but at the other end Mahipal Lomror blasted 43 in just 17 balls.
At one point Rajasthan were cruising at 116/3 in the 12th over, and looked set for 200. However, some high-quality death bowling by by Arshdeep Singh (5-32) and Mohammed Shami (3-21) helped Punjab Kings restrict Rajasthan to 185.
Barring the last two overs, the Punjab batters looked untroubled during the chase. They raced to 120 without loss thanks to the efforts of Rahul (49) and Mayank Agarwal (67), aided by a string of dropped chances. When both got out in quick succession, Aiden Markram (26*) and Nicholas Pooran (32) brought things under control with a 57-run fourth wicket stand before losing their way in the final 12 deliveries of the match.
With this defeat, Punjab’s season is almost over. With just six points from nine matches they are now languishing at seventh place. Rajasthan, meanwhile, have lifted themselves to fifth place, with eight points from as many matches.
Brief scores: Rajasthan Royals 185 in 20 overs (Jaiswal 49; Arshdeep 5-32) beat Punjab Kings 183/4 in 20 overs (Agarwal 67; Tyagi 2-29) by 2 runs. Player of the Match: Kartik Tyagi