The ninth match of the IPL 2020 saw Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) getting ambushed by Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the last four overs of the match. It was an amazing comeback from one Rahul Tewatia, who at one time was finding it hard to time a single ball and ended up with a half-century and hero of the match.
Kings XI Punjab batted first after RR captain Steve Smith won the toss and chose to bowl. Mayank Agarwal made 106 and added 183 runs with KL Rahul, who made 69 runs in just 16.3 overs. Agarwal hit 7 sixes and 10 fours. KXIP ended up making 223/2 after Pooran’s 8-ball 25 cameo.
For RR, Ankit Rajpoot and Tom Curran were the wicket-takers.
In the chase, Steve Smith made 50 in 27 balls, while Buttler failed in his first outing in IPL 2020. But the knock of their innings came from Sanju Samson, who made 85 off 42 balls with 7 sixes and 4 fours. He added 81 runs with Smith.
RR needed 51 runs in the last 18 balls with Rahul Tewatia on 17 runs in 23 balls. The next over was bowled by Sheldon Cottrell and Tewatia deposited 5 sixes in 6 balls, picking 30 runs off the over and turning the game around on its head.
The 19th over was bowled by Mohammad Shami and Jofra Archer and Tewatia smashed three more sixes on that over to take 19 runs as well. Rajasthan won the match in the final over with Tom Curran hitting M Ashwin for a four and Rajasthan Royals broke their own record for the highest run chase in IPL history by making 226/6 in 19.3 overs.
Rahul Tewatia (53 in 31 balls with 7 sixes) went from being ridiculed for his slow innings to hero for those 7 sixes he hit in his last few balls and winning the match for his team effectively.
The cricket fraternity was amazed at the way RR won the game from no position and lauded his efforts wholeheartedly on social media.
Here are the tweets:
