Guwahati, Mar 26 (UNI) Rajasthan Royals managed to post a modest total of 151 for nine in their allotted 20 overs against Kolkata Knight Riders in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium here on Wednesday.
Opting to bowl first after winning the toss, Kolkata bowlers capitalised on the conditions, restricting Rajasthan with disciplined bowling performances.
Rajasthan's innings got off to a slow start, with opener Yashasvi Jaiswal scoring 29 off 24 balls before falling to Moeen Ali. Skipper Riyan Parag provided a brief spark, striking 25 off 15 deliveries, but was dismissed by Varun Chakaravarthy.
Sanju Samson, the other top-order batsman, failed to make an impact, managing just 13 runs before being castled by Vaibhav Arora. Samson was also involved in a risky single early in his innings, where Jaiswal gave up on the run, but a throw from Ramandeep at backward point missed the target, saving the opener.
The middle order failed to build momentum, as Nitish Rana (8), Wanindu Hasaranga (4), and Shubham Dubey (9) departed cheaply. Dhruv Jurel, however, fought valiantly with a well-made 33 off 28 balls, keeping Rajasthan's hopes alive.
Shimron Hetmyer had a stroke of luck in the 18th over when he flat-batted Spencer Johnson towards long-off, where Venkatesh Iyer put down a tough chance despite a diving effort.
Lower-order contributions from Jofra Archer (16) and tailenders ensured Rajasthan reached 151/9 by the end of 20 overs. In the final over, Tushar Deshpande and Maheesh Theekshana scrambled a couple of runs to take Rajasthan past the 150-mark, with Spencer Johnson missing an opportunity to run Theekshana out due to a sloppy collection.
Kolkata's bowling attack delivered a disciplined performance, with Spencer Johnson (1/42) and Harshit Rana (2/36) leading the charge. Rana, however, was guilty of dropping Jaiswal off his own bowling early in the innings, a missed chance that could have proven costly.
Moeen Ali and Varun Chakaravarthy picked up two wickets each, while Vaibhav Arora also bagged two crucial scalps.
With a target of 152, Kolkata will be looking to chase down the total comfortably and register their first win in IPL 2025. UNI BDN SSP