Jadeja and Archer shine as Rajasthan beat LSG by 40 runs

Ravindra Jadeja’s unbeaten 43 off 29 balls, along with a terrific haul of 3-20 by Jofra Archer, helped Rajasthan Royals successfully defend a modest total to defeat Lucknow Super Giants by 40 runs in their IPL encounter at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Wednesday.

In a low-scoring encounter, Jadeja top-scored to take RR to a respectable 159/6 in their 20 overs. His unbeaten 49-run stand with impact player Shubham Dubey, who made 19 not out off 11 balls, gave RR bowlers a fighting chance in the match, after LSG’s pace trio Mohammed Shami, Mohsin Khan, and Prince Yadav took two scalps each.

Defending 159, the lowest score defended in this season, RR’s bowlers were right on the money from the word go, and backed by some superb fielding, they consigned LSG to their fourth consecutive loss of the competition.

Archer found support in Nandre Burger and Brijesh Sharma, who picked two scalps each, while Ravindra Jadeja and Ravi Bishnoi had one wicket each as LSG were bowled out for just 119 in 18 overs, as RR have now moved to second place in the points table.

Opting to bowl first, LSG didn’t have the best of starts as Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi hit six boundaries between themselves in the first three overs. But RR’s explosive start was derailed in the third over when Shami struck twice in two balls.

He bowled a sharp bouncer to remove Jaiswal, who tried to hook, and an airborne Rishabh Pant leapt to grab the catch with an outstretched right hand. One brought two for Shami as he got one to nip away and take Dhruv Jurel’s outside edge, as Pant dived to his right to dismiss him for a duck.

The pressure intensified as Mohsin nailed his lengths and became the first bowler in IPL history to bowl a maiden over to teenage sensation Sooryavanshi, as he eventually forced him into mistiming a loft to cover, while having Shimron Hetmyer to give a leading edge to mid-off.

Prince then ensured there was no middle-order recovery as he dismissed Riyan Parag, who holed out to long-on, and later removed Donovan Ferreira by having him caught at third man to leave RR reeling at 110/6.

RR were staring at a sub-par total before Jadeja took charge. Biding his time initially, Jadeja exploded in the final over by picking 20 runs off Mayank Yadav (0-56), bowling in his first game of the season. Supported by Dubey, Jadeja ensured RR had a great finish to their innings, something which felt improbable at the 15-over mark.

LSG’s chase of 160 began chaotically - on the final ball of the opening over, Ayush Badoni was run out for a duck following a massive mix-up. Captain Rishabh Pant’s inconsistent run continued when he fell for a three-ball duck in the second over, top-edging off Burger to the keeper Dhruv Jurel.

With head coach Justin Langer going to the dressing room from the dugout, the nightmare deepened for LSG when Archer returned to remove Aiden Markram for a duck with a steep bouncer, leaving them reeling at 16/3. By the end of the Powerplay, despite a six from Marsh, LSG were gasping at 31/3.

Mitchell Marsh fought a lonely battle, reaching a 39-ball fifty, but found no support. Nicholas Pooran (22) holed out to long-on off Ravindra Jadeja, as the middle-order crumbled under the pressure of a rising required run rate.

Ravi Bishnoi entered the fray to clean up Himmat Singh (15) with a quicker delivery, before Burger returned in the 16th over to claim the big scalp of Marsh, who made 55 off 42 balls laced with six fours and two sixes.

Brijesh effectively ended the contest in the 17th over by removing Mukul Choudhary and Mohammed Shami in quick succession.

Archer then returned to apply the finishing touches — a spectacular catch from Jurel led to the dismissal of Mayank Yadav before he flattened Mohsin Khan’s middle stump with a pacy delivery to end LSG’s misery and give RR their first away win of the ongoing season.

Indo-Asian News Service

Brief scores:

Rajasthan Royals 159/6 in 20 overs (Ravindra Jadeja 43 not out, Yashasvi Jaiswal 22; Mohsin Khan 2-17, Prince Yadav 2-29) beat Lucknow Super Giants 119 in 18 overs (Mitchell Marsh 55, Nicholas Pooran 22; Jofra Archer 3-20, Brijesh Sharma 2-18) by 40 runs