The loss would have hurt KXIP considering they managed to dominate the game with Tewatia looking clueless, but they wouldn’t mind losing a game when someone played what is probably one of the most incredible innings they’ve ever seen. Never take it lightly, never think that you are on top with the ball, these are the lessons that Rahul and company would draw from this game. Phew! What a game they have played us. Many thanks to everyone involved. The spices, the mixture, the aroma are coming out brilliant. Aah, the tournament is turning out a good curry! I just can’t want RCB v MI tomorrow. See you at that heavyweight contest!
He came out, he swung blindly, he didn’t touch the ball, he looked down, people were making fun of him, people were asking him to get away from the scene, the team backed him up, they didn’t try to get him out, he must have felt terrible scoring alone 8 of 19 balls promoted in a chase of over 200 at a crucial moment, he must have been about to give up with his mind drawing all the possible negative feelings in the world. But he kept his head up and suddenly hit one over the rope with a spinner and then hit five out of six. Rahul Tewatia: You have redefined the meaning of self belief. Get down and out and get to the top of the world in a space of 10 minutes, that takes some effort. I greet you sir!
Sanju Samson | Man of the match: I’ve been hitting it good for the last year. So I was following my routine and feeling confident. I am happy to win some games. I did a huge soul-searching after getting frustrated trying things. So I decided that if I had ten more years of cricket left, I want to go back and give it my all.
Steve Smith | Winning captain: It was a chase! Tewatia, that was kind of an exhibition against Cottrell. We have an idea of the conditions here in the last game. It is a small lot, we always thought that if we had windows in the shed we would always have a chance. Samson is hitting six at will right now. We saw in the nets that he hit the ball as he did in that to Cottrell. Credit to him. Cottrell’s three sixes would have brought us back to that game, that’s a lot of self-confidence. It seemed like we could be chasing over 250 at a time, credit to the bowlers for turning things back.
Rahul Tewatia: I’m better now. They were the worst first 20 balls I’ve ever played. I hit the ball very well in the nets, so I believed in myself and kept going. At first he was not hitting the ball well, I saw him on the bench, everyone was curious because they know that I can hit the ball long. I thought I had to believe in myself. It was a matter of one and six, after that, I got going. Five in one was amazing. The coach sent me to hit sixes with the leg-spinner, but unfortunately I didn’t hit him. In the end, I stuck with the other bowlers.
KL Rahul | Losing Captain: Look, this is T20 cricket, we’ve seen it for so many years, we did a lot of things well, we have to keep our chin up and come back stronger. A lot of positive things tonight, we did a lot of good things, but those things happen, great game of cricket, we have to give it to them (Rajasthan Royals). The game keeps you humble all the time, I honestly thought we had the game in our pocket. Towards the end they hit well and put pressure on our bowlers, which led to mistakes. I back them to get the job done, they have done well in the last two games, it’s okay to have a bad game. It’s good that this came early in the tournament, they will only learn from this and come back strong. Small lots and the total doesn’t really matter. We’ve seen it in the last seven or eight games, whether it’s Sharjah or Dubai, bowlers are going the distance at the rear of this tournament so far, teams are backing their batsmen to try death and get those big shocks: Sanju Samson and Rahul Tewatia did very well, they were ready, they played superbly well and they deserve this victory.
Most runs scored in the last five overs of a successful IPL chase:
86 RR vs KXIP Sharjah 2020 *
77 CSK vs RCB Chennai 2012
72 RCB v Deccan Bangalore, 2012
72 CSK v RCB Bangalore 2018
72 KKR v RCB Bangalore 2019
The most successful chases in IPL:
223 RR vs KXIP Sharjah 2020 *
215 RR vs Deccan Hyderabad 2008
209 DD v GL Delhi 2017
KL Rahul! Why did you give Maxwell the third when Ashwin had three left? Maxwell threw two cheap overs with Tewatia simply hitting the air, so Punjab probably tried to be smart with Maxwell again, but Samson edged them out with three sixes in 16th place to rejuvenate the Royals dugout. Shami took Samson out next to put Punjab on top, but since Cottrell didn’t reach the right lengths, Tewatia happily hit the ground balls on the side of the leg for a stellar comeback. With Tewatia hitting so well, the rest that followed had great confidence and everything they touched flew over the rope. Smith, after that great start, and Samson having had to handle the extreme pressure when Tewatia struggled, even winning the coup at one point, will be greatly relieved. Just because of the way Tewatia changed things in his own way, I give him the Man of the Match award, I say.
21:43 local time, 17:43 GMT, 23:13 IST: Woohoo! That is one of the craziest cricket games ever played. First a brilliant hitting from Punjab and then a great response from the Royals despite Buttler falling by a single digit score. And then came Tewatia. He swung, literally nothing touched the bat, he slid to 8 of 19 and made the move up the order look silly, but boy, did he break 5 6s from a Cottrell to snatch the game. From throwing his head back in disappointment to going to a standing ovation just minutes after being literally asked to stand down. Words cannot describe that. And even after that change, he quietly walked away, just as he came.
Murugan Ashwin to Tom Curran, FOUR, stand back and rise inside out over the deck and that’s an incredible win – Highest Successful Execution Pursuit in IPL History
Tom Curran, right bat, hits the fold
Murugan Ashwin to Riyan Parag, outside Bowled !! He knocked him down with a ball. Parag tries to sweep and fails, the middle stump breaks. Two runs to get four balls now. Riyan Parag b Murugan Ashwin 0 (2)
Murugan Ashwin to Riyan Parag, THAT’S OUT !! Bowled !!
Murugan Ashwin to Riyan Parag, no running, shot, Parag takes him out
Murugan Ashwin [1.0-0-12-0] is back on the attack
Riyan Parag, right-handed bat, reaches the fold
Rahul Tewatia
First 19 balls: eight runs (no limits)
Last 12 balls: 45 runs (7 x 6 s)
6.0.2.1.6.6.6.6.0.6.6.W
Shami to Rahul Tewatia, outside Caught by Agarwal !! He tried to hit the winning runs, but threw this short ball straight into deep center. Come on, give him a standing ovation and the Royals are doing just that. Unable to touch the ball, people questioned sending him and wanted him to retire, but he put on a six-hit show like no one else. What an incredible thrill ride that would have been! Rahul Tewatia c Agarwal b Shami 53 (31) [6s-7]
