Royals dished out one of the most inexplicable batting performances this season as they were dismissed for just 59, suffering a massive 112-run defeat to RCB on Sunday
Anuj Rawat (Pic: @RCBTweets/Twitter)
If a well-judged catch off Sanju Samson's willow and handy cameo of 11-ball 29* were not enough for youngster Anuj Rawat to make a mark in the must-win Rajasthan Royals fixture on Sunday, he pulled off a sublime run out of Ravichandran Ashwin to ensure he would definitely be part of the highlights later on in the day.
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As Shimron Hetmyer directed the ball to the offside looking to get a couple of quick runs, Rawat moved away from his regular standing place to collect the ball from Siraj and then with his back to the stumps, just casually flicked it to hit the stumps, as a startled Ashwin looked on.
𝗗𝗢 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗠𝗜𝗦𝗦!
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 14, 2023
The Anuj Rawat direct-hit that left everyone in disbelief 🔥🔥
Check out the dismissal here 🔽 #TATAIPL | #RRvRCB pic.twitter.com/2GWC5P0nYP
Earlier, Rawat hit 29 not out off just 11 balls down the order to take Bangalore's total past the 170-mark as they added 51 runs in the last five overs. He joined captain Faf du Plessis and Maxwell struck half-centuries as the visitors posted a challenging 171 for 5 after opting to bat. Du Plessis (55 off 44 balls) and Maxwell (54 off 33 balls) continued their strong form on a slower pitch but the Royals produced a disciplined bowling effort to stop RCB to a competitive total.
Also Read: 'I'm a little relieved now': Anuj Rawat after handy cameo of 29* against Royals
On the other hand, Royals' batters failed to give a fight as they kept on playing shots when the situation demanded to stick for a while on a slow and tricky wicket.
RCB bowlers exploited the lack of application by RR batters and game sense as all of them returned with wickets. Wayne Parnell was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets for 10 runs from his three overs. Michael Bracewell and Karn Sharma took two wickets each while Mohammed Siraj and Glenn Maxwell got one each.
Chasing 172 for a win, the Royals suffered a stunning batting collapse to be bundled out in just 10.3 overs for the third-lowest total in IPL history with only Shimron Hetmyer (35 off 19 balls) and Joe Root (10 off 15 balls) scoring in double-digit figures. This was RR's second-lowest total as they just about managed to go past their earlier lowest of 58 against the same opponents in 2009 by one run. With the win, RCB jumped to the fifth spot with 12 points from 12 matches to be in contention for a playoff berth while RR moved down to sixth with 12 points from 13 matches.
(With PTI inputs)
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