RR vs LSG | Avesh Khan’s clutch death bowling seals Rajasthan’s fourth defeat in a row

Debayan Sinha

ByDebayan Sinha,SportsCafe Editor

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Lucknow Super Giants triumphed over Rajasthan Royals by two runs at Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur. Aiden Markram and Ayush Badoni’s fifties anchored the innings and took them to 180/5, while Avesh Khan’s precise death bowling clinched the thrilling win for Lucknow in the final over.

‌Riding on the back of a loss to CSK, Lucknow skipper Rishabh Pant won the toss and chose to bat first. The decision didn’t pay off as opener Mitchell Marsh was removed in the third over by Jofra Archer. The troubles deepened when their key batter Nicholas Pooran was dismissed by Sandeep Sharma in the sixth over. With Pant and Aiden Markram at the crease, Lucknow reached 51/2 in seven overs. But the struggle continued as Wanindu Hasaranga removed Pant in the eighth over. Ayush Badoni and Markram then steadied the innings, building a solid 62-run partnership, with the Proteas batter reaching a 31-ball half-century. Markram was eventually dismissed by Hasaranga again in the 16th over, with the scoreboard reading 130/4. Badoni carried on the momentum, notching up his fifty in 33 balls before falling right after. However, Abdul Samad’s blazing 30 off just 10 balls in the death overs propelled Lucknow to a strong total of 174/5 in 20 overs.

 

In response, Rajasthan openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and debutant Vaibhav Suryavanshi got off to a flying start, guiding the hosts to 61/0 at the end of the powerplay. The spotlight was firmly on the 14-year-old Suryavanshi, who announced his arrival with a six off his first delivery and was striking at 174. Jaiswal complemented him well, bringing up a fluent 31-ball half-century as the duo looked in control. Just when Rajasthan seemed to be cruising, Aiden Markram dismissed Suryavanshi in the ninth over for a brisk 34 off 20 balls. The momentum dipped further when Nitish Rana was removed in the very next over. With Riyan Parag and Jaiswal at the crease, Rajasthan stood at 135/2 after 15 overs, needing just 46 from the last five—a seemingly comfortable chase. As the pressure mounted, Lucknow’s bowlers searched desperately for breakthroughs. Avesh Khan delivered in the 18th over, first clean bowling Jaiswal and then striking again to remove Parag, turning the game on its head. The equation was down to nine needed off the final over with Shimron Hetmyer at the crease, but Avesh held his nerve, conceding just six runs in a brilliant last over. His sensational bowling sealed a thrilling win for Lucknow as Rajasthan fell short by two runs.

 What a delivery!

Vaibhav Suryavanshi

Yes!

Well Done!

Best debut!

True!

What a player!

Jaiswal did it for RR!

Yeah!

???

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