Left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar bowled a match-turning sple after Nehal Vaidhera and Shashank Singh, as Punjab Kings reached close to an IPL playoff berth with a 10-run win over Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on Sunday. Brar, who came as an alternative to Skipper Shreyas Iyer-was introduced in the unhealthy-fifth over due to excessive heat and left-arm spinners moved with an impressive 3/22 of 3/22 in four overs, which helped to limit PBK to 209/7 in 220 chas. 3×6) by Shashank and Wadera (70, 37B, 5×4, 5×6).
With this win, PBK (NRR: 0.38) climbed up 17 points and is second on the back table of Royal Challengers Bangalore (17 points, 0.48) of the leaders.
Ricky Ponting-Cooked side needs just one more point to secure the playoff berth for the first time since 2014.
BRAR, which mixed his angles, trajectory and speed with accuracy, played a large part in it.
His scalps included 14 -year -old sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi (40 runs 15; 4×4, 4×6) and Indian opener Yashsvi Jaiswal, who carried out a cruel attack with him (24 runs 24).
Together they flew from the block with a stand of 76 runs in just 4.1 overs. Azmatullah Omarzai (2/44) again gave a double blow to RR’s chase lost steam, as the skipper sent back to Sanju Samson (16 runs 16) and Shimron Hetmier (11 runs 12).
Dhruv Jurlel (31 balls 53; 3×4, 4×6) hit the form to score his second fifty of the season, but it was meaningless as Marco Jnasen (2/41 in three overs) removed him and Vanindu Hasranga in the last over to finish his chase.
Jaiswal was in explosive form from the beginning, breaking four fours and sixes in Arshdeep Singh’s first over.
Suryavanshi matched them for stroke for stroke, cracking two sixes and one four distance Jansen.
RR ran at 51 without any loss in just three overs – 50 of them coming in borders, and through a wide.
Suryavanshi continued his fireworks with a back-to-back sixes from Arshdeep, helping the RR Storm 76 in just 29 balls.
However, Brar’s introduction proved to be decisive, as he first removed Suryavanshi and then dismissed Jaiswal, who fell immediately after completing his sixth fifty of the season.
It saw the required rate jumping from 10 to 12, and the royals could not recover.
Prior to this, half-saint meter from Wadhera and Shashank operates PBK in a commanding clan.
To bat, PBK started stunning, but lost the opener Priyash Arya in the second over, caught by Hetmier from Tushar Deshpande (2/37). Prabhasimran Singh briefly continued the speed, striking Mafaka for one four and six, but the wickets continued.
IPL debutant Mitchell Owen fell for a two -ball duck, throwing Samson out of Mafaka. Immediately after Prabhasimran (12 to 22), Deshpande was sent to Samson, who successfully reviewed the on-field umpire after rejecting.
Skipper Iyer (25 to 30, 5x4s) and Wadhera then accelerated the stand of 67 runs with 44 balls for the fourth wicket. Iyer looked fluent, but fell against playing, cutting a Ryan parague delivery for Jesswal for a long time.
Hasranga dropped Vaheer, 47 with his bowling, availing the most.
He brought his fifty in just 25 balls and was particularly prominent on the leg side.
His knock ended when he attempted back-to-back sixes from Akash Madhwal, only to find Hetmyer in deep.
Omarjai offered Finishing Touch with an unbeaten 21 off just nine balls, helping to cross the PBK 200 -run mark.
(Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is published by a syndicated feed.)
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