IPL 2025: Harpreet Brar's 3/22 storms Punjab Kings to victory over Rajasthan Royals by 10 runs
Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], May 18 (ANI): A Brilliant bowling performance from left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar guided the Punjab Kings (PBKS) team to victory over the Rajasthan Royals (RR) by 10 runs at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Sunday.
With this win, the Punjab side moved to the second spot (17 points in 12 games),on the other hand, the Rajasthan team slipped to the ninth position (6 points in 13 matches) in the IPL 2025 points table.
Chasing a mammoth total of 220 runs, the Rajasthan Royals openers Yashasvi Jaiswal (50 runs off 25 balls) and Vaibhav Suryavanshi (40 runs from 15 balls) started attacking the bowlers from the first over.
The Sanju Samson-led side touched the 550-run mark in the third over as Jaiswal slammed a boundary on the penultimate ball of the over.
Both batters were dealing in sixes and fours. Jaiswal and Suryavanshi scored 67 runs in 25 balls before running for a single.
The first wicket fell in the fifth over at the score of 76 as Suryavanshi was sent back to the pavilion.
After the fall of the first wicket, team skipper Sanju Samson came out to bat alongside Jaiswal. The Rajasthan-based franchise completed the 100-run mark in the 8th over.
In the 11th over, the Royals lost the second wicket as Jaiswal was sent back to the dressing room on the bowling of Brar. Following his dismissal, Riyan Parag came to bat.
Samson (20 runs in 16 balls), Parag (13 runs off 11 balls), and left-hand batter Shimron Hetmyer (11 runs from 12 balls) were unable to make their mark in the game. Dhruv Jurel (53 runs in 31 balls) scored some crucial runs for the side, but it was not enough to take his team over the line.
For the PBKS side, three wickets were snapped by Brar (3/22 in 4 overs), and two wickets each were grabbed by Marco Jansen (2/41 in 3 overs) and Azmatullah Omarzai (2/44 in 4 overs) in their respective spells.
Earlier, after winning the toss and opting to bat first, openers Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya started by striking some boundaries. However, Tushar Deshpande got Priyansh for nine in seven deliveries, with Shimron Hetmyer taking a catch at mid-off. PBKS was 19/1 in 1.5 overs.
Debutant Mitchell Owen joined Prabhsimran. While Prabhsimran continued his rich run of form by attacking Kwena Maphaka, Owen was dismissed by the South African U19 star for a two-ball duck, with skipper Sanju Samson taking a catch. RR was 34/2 in three overs.
Deshpande just could not be kept out of action as he removed Prabhsimran for 21 in 10 balls, with three fours and a six. PBKS is 34/3 in 3.1 overs.
Towards the final few balls of the powerplay, skipper Shreyas Iyer and Nehal Wadhera collected some boundaries against RR pace, with PBKS bringing up their 50-run mark in 5.2 overs. At the end of six overs, PBKS was 58/3, with Nehal (11*) and Shreyas (13*) unbeaten.
Nehal and Iyer continued to strike one odd boundary or two every over, with the left-handed batter doing well against spinners Riyan Parag and Wanindu Hasaranga. Their half-century stand was up in 34 balls.
At the end of 10 overs, PBKS was 97/3, with Nehal (37*) and Shreyas (26*) unbeaten.
The 100-run mark was up for PBKS in 10.2 overs, thanks to a fine four by Iyer against Parag. However, the PBKS skipper was caught at long-off by Yashasvi Jaiswal on the next ball for 30 in 25 balls, with five fours. PBKS was 101/4 in 10.3 overs.
Nehal was joined by Shashank Singh at the crease and the duo looted 17 runs from Akash Madhwal in the 13th over, with a four by Shashank and a four and six by Wadhera, who reached his fourth IPL fifty in 25 balls, with five fours and three sixes.
At the end of 15 overs, PBKS was 147/4 with Shashank (18*) and Nehal (63*) unbeaten.
A low catch from Hetmyer in the 16th over gave Madhwal the scalp of Nehal for 70 in 37 balls, with five fours and five sixes. PBKS was 159/5 in 16 overs.
In the next over, Shashank made a meal out of Fazalhaq Farooqi, smashing him for two fours and a six, with him and Azmatullah Omarzai looting 18 runs from his over. It was Omarzai's turn to be the aggressor, as he hit Maphaka for two fours and a six.
PBKS reached the 200-run mark in 18.5 overs.
In the final over, Shashank continued his onslaught on Deshpande, bringing up his fourth IPL fifty in 27 balls, with four boundaries and three sixes. PBKS ended their innings at 219/5, with Shashank (59* in 30 balls, with five boundaries and three sixes) and Omarzai (21* in nine balls, with three fours and a six).
Deshpande (2/37) was the lead bowler for RR. Maphaka, Parag and Madhwal got a wicket each.
Brief Score: Punkjab Kings 219/5 in 20 overs (Nehal Wadhera 70, Shashank Singh 59*; Tushar Deshpande 2/37) vs Rajasthan Royals 209/7 in 20 overs (Dhruv Jyrel 53, Yashasvi Jaiswal 50; Harpreet Brar 3/22). (ANI)
(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)
