The Rajasthan Royals faced off against the Punjab Kings in a highly anticipated IPL 2023 match in Guwahati on Wednesday. Led by Shikhar Dhawan, the Punjab Kings maintained their winning streak by defeating the Rajasthan Royals by a margin of five runs. Dhawan was the standout performer of the match, scoring an unbeaten 86 runs off 56 balls and leading his team to a total of 197/4 in 20 overs after being asked to bat first. Prabhsimran Singh also played a crucial role in providing the team with an explosive start, adding 90 runs for the opening wicket with Dhawan before being dismissed for 64(34). Dhawan went on to form another 50-plus partnership with Jitesh Sharma (27 off 16).
Rajasthan’s experiment of sending R Ashwin to open alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal failed miserably as they lost Yashasvi, Ashwin, and Jos Buttler in the powerplay. Sanju Samson attempted to steady the ship but Nathan Ellis proved to be a difficult challenge for the Royals, scalping four wickets and keeping things under control for Punjab. Despite this, Shimron Hetmyer and Dhruv Jurel played a series of lusty blows, keeping Rajasthan in the hunt until the final over. However, Sam Curran bowled an exceptional final over, securing two vital points for the Punjab Kings. Catch the highlights of the Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings match below.
