Delhi Capitals came to Jaipur after facing the defeat in their opening game against Punjab Kings. While the home team Rajasthan Royals won their opening game by defeating Lucknow Super Giants. Delhi Capitals captain Rishabh Pant is back in the squad after a one year hiatus due to injuries after being involved in a life threatening car accident. So all eyes were on the returning power hitter Pant as to how will he perform. Whereas Sanju Samson is still determined to leave a mark through his performance for his franchise Rajasthan Royals.

Rajasthan Royals vs Delhi Capitals 1st Innings

Batting first Rajasthan Royals did not have the best of starts to the game. The warriors in pink lost their first three wickets in the eighth over for just 36 runs. Jaiswal, Samson and Buttler all went for 5, 11, and 15 runs respectively. Given the array of wickets Ashwin was promoted up the batting order for some power hitting. Following the orders, Ashwin smashed three big sixes but eventually gave his wicket to Axar Patel on the boundary ropes.

As Rajasthan seems to be struggling mid innings, Riyan Parag took charge and tried to make up for the overs and wickets lost in the process. Parag shifted gears and took the bowlers upfront to reach to a fighting total. Riyan Parag along with Hetmyer added 43 runs for the sixth wicket smashing 25 runs on the last over of the innings. Due to late power hitting from young Parag, Rajasthan posted a fighting total of 185 runs.

Key performers in the first innings were Axar Patel and Khalil Ahmed for Delhi while it was a one man show from Riyan Parag for Rajasthan Royals. Axar gave 21 runs and Khalil gave 24 runs in their respective overs with one wicket each. However, Riyan Parag smashed 84 runs in 45 balls.

2nd Innings Drama

Batting second, Delhi opened their innings with a bang. Both Warner and Marsh took the Rajasthan bowlers across the boundary ropes from the first over. Howerer, in the fourth over of the innings, Nandre Burgers took 2 wickets, Firstly, he dismissed Mitchell Marsh for 23 runs followed by Ricky Bui on duck.

David Warner came in front to stabalize the game, in the process the Australian legend scored forty nine runs in 34 balls. Moreover, the sheet anchor knock of the IPL legend had five 4s and three 6s. Things looked good until Sandeep Sharma took a blinder in the point to sent Warner back in stands. Later Rishabh Pant along with Abhishek Porel couldn’t do much eventually leading Delhi struggling in the flag end of the match.

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However, Tristan Stubbs did add fuel to the team total as the overseas player scored 44 runs from 23 balls with couple of boundaries and three maximums. Though, Stubbs played a handy knock but could not take his team over the finish line. Last over heroics from Avesh Khan made sure Rajasthan taking back a satisfactory win later in the night. Khan bowling the final over had 16 runs to defend, Interestingly, the Indian pacer leaked bare minimum three runs from final six deliveries letting Rajasthan win by 12 runs.

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Following Jaiswal’s departure, Joss Buttler contributed 11 runs, albeit briefly, before falling victim to Naveen-ul-Haq’s delivery, caught behind by KL Rahul. However, skipper Sanju Samson stole the show with an impressive unbeaten 82 off 52 balls, guiding his team to a formidable total. Riyan Parag also made a notable contribution, scoring 43 runs before being caught by Deepak Hooda off Naveen-ul-Haq’s delivery.

Despite some setbacks, the Royals managed to post a challenging total of 193 runs for losing four wickets in their allotted 20 overs.

Lucknow Super Giants Struggle in Response

Chasing a target of 194 runs, the Super Giants faced an uphill battle from the start, losing wickets at regular intervals. Opener Quinton de Kock’s early dismissal for just 4 runs off 5 balls, caught by Nandre Burger off Trent Boult’s delivery, set the tone for the Super Giants’ batting woes.

The pressure continued to mount as key batsmen KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Ayush Badoni, and Deepak Hooda fell cheaply, failing to make significant contributions to the scoreboard. Despite a valiant effort from Nicholas Pooran, who remained unbeaten with a commendable 64 runs off 41 balls, the Super Giants could only muster 173 runs for the loss of six wickets in their stipulated 20 overs.

Bowlers Shine for Rajasthan Royals

The Royals’ bowlers delivered a disciplined performance, maintaining tight lines and picking up crucial wickets regularly to thwart the Super Giants’ batting lineup.

Trent Boult led the bowling attack with figures of 2 wickets for 35 runs in his 4 overs, while Nandre Burger, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Yuzvendra Chahal chipped in with crucial breakthroughs to keep the pressure on the opposition.

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In the end, a collective effort from the Rajasthan Royals batsmen and bowlers secured a comprehensive victory for the team, reaffirming their dominance in the tournament. Upcoming in the season, Rajasthan Royals will face Delhi Capitals at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. However, Lucknow Super Giants will battle Punjab Kings in Ekana Sports City Lucknow. Moreover, next in the season, the Mumbai Indians will play against the Gujarat Titans at Narendra Modi Stadium on the 24th of March at 8:00 PM.