IPL SRL | KXIP vs RR Evaluation Chart - Buttler, Uthappa half-centuries compliment bowlers for a Royal victory

06/26/2020

Robin Uthappa and Jos Buttler both scored half-centuries in a low-scoring encounter to help Rajasthan Royals secure an eight-wicket victory over Kings XI Punjab in the SRL today. Earlier, Shreyas Gopal and Ankit Rajpoot picked three wickets each to restrict the Rajasthan side to a lowly total.

Match Review

After being inserted into bat, Kings XI Punjab had a difficult start to the beginning with Chris Gayle being dismissed by Ankit Rajpoot for a golden duck. KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal guided the side to a comfortable 52/1 at the end of the powerplay, but Rahul’s dismissal brought a chain reaction of sorts, with Shreyas Gopal’s solid leg-spin bowling forcing the hosts to tatters in the middle overs. Later, a terrific spell of death bowling by Jaydev Unadkat and Ankit Rajpoot ended Punjab’s hopes straightaway, with the side being bowled out for 133 - a below-par score in any T20 match.

Jos Buttler and Robin Uthappa used the game as a case of practice may be, for the sheer fact that there was no urgency in their approach. Nor was there any swag factor to finish the game. They played the game on its merit, which was really boring for us as followers, but isn’t it true that winning eventually matters for all at the end of the day. The side lost two wickets in the form of Robin Uthappa, who continued his excellent run of form with another 52 today, and Sanju Samson, but Buttler, who eventually scored an unbeaten 55, helped Rajasthan wrap up an eight-wicket heist.

You can check out the live scorecard and the match tracker here.

Turning Point

Even after Rahul’s dismissal, Punjab had their hopes pinned on Glenn Maxwell and Mayank Agarwal to deliver the goods, but the dismissal of the Aussie swashbuckler resulted in a fragmental sort of break from which Punjab could never really recover from. Had Maxwell held one end up to provide some balance, things couldn’t have plummeted the way it did and the hosts could surely have managed a better score.

Highs and Lows

The ultimate high for me was the way Shreya Gopal got into his grip and showcased his marvellous bowling display. Despite knowing that Punjab’s pinch hitters had the ability to take on spinners on most occasions, Gopal stayed brave to break their back with a three-wicket spell. His magical spell was intertwined in two serious phases of the game that it is easy to overlook, but in reality, it was one of the moments to savour during the whole match.

Punjab throwing in the towel and conceding the last four wickets in a flash was the ultimate low in the game that was anyway boring. One might argue that the middle-order was a bigger disappointment - and surely, they were bigger disappointments - but time and again, a tailender rising and giving few good tonks adds to the format’s intrinsic appeal. Punjab surely lost a chance there.

Rating Charts

Powerplay exploitation: Punjab 6/10 Rajasthan 7/10

Even though Punjab lost Chris Gayle on the very first delivery of the game, KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal tried to make up for that with some big hits to the stands. It was Agarwal who was more attacking of the duo, especially against the fast bowling pair of Ankit Rajpoot and Jaydev Unadkat, helping the side to 52/1 at the end of 6th over - a decent undertaking, but could have been more had Rahul fired in the same vein.

The Rajasthan opening duo of Robin Uthappa and Jos Buttler, with a low total on board, batted with caution keeping the small target of 134 runs in mind. They gave enough respect to the Punjab bowlers in the powerplay, which meant only 51 runs were scored, but that brought them so close in the match that only one result was possible afterwards.

Middle-overs manoeuvring: Punjab 2/10 Rajasthan 7/10

Consider this. From Over No.7 to Over No.15, Punjab lost at least one wicket in every alternate over, none lending a helping hand to Mayank Agarwal’s pursuit. The Karnataka batsman held one end up while scoring at a brisk pace, but the lack of support forced him to take the risk which also plotted his dismissal in the 13th over for a well-compiled 34-ball 50. 59 runs all that Punjab could accumulate in that phase, setting them for a lower aggregate.

For Rajasthan, the middle-over phase was merely an extension of the first six overs - no risk taken, just baby steps to eventual target. In the process, they lost a couple of wickets in the form of Robin Uthappa and Sanju Samson - but that could hardly do anything to deter them from reaching the mark, as the game ended in the 15th over alone.

Death bowling: Punjab NIL/10 Rajasthan 8/10

The real damage had already been done in the middle order, but Punjab, as a batting unit, would have thought to give Rajasthan a run for the money in the death. But what actually transpired is the repeat of the same old story as Jaydev Unadkat and Ankit Rajpoot spelt the death knell with four wickets in their two overs, consigning Punjab to a lowly total of 133 runs in total. The four-over death bowling just yielded 21 runs - enough to understand the terrible day Punjab batsmen had in the middle today.

The game was over in the 15th Over itself and there was no need for death over today.

Match Frenzy O Meter - BORRRINGGGG

How deadly can a T20 game be? If you are still searching for a definitive answer, then this SRL game between Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab has detailed the same quite vividly, as any neutral fan would have been bored to death.