IPL 2022: Jaiswal’s sparkling 68 help RR beat PBKS by 6 wickets

MUMBAI: Promising opener Yashasvi Jaiswal made a dream comeback with a career-best 68 as Rajasthan Royals defeated Punjab Kings by six wickets at the Wankhede Stadium here on Saturday, its first win while chasing in IPL 2022.

Drafted in place of Karun Nair, the 20-year-old Jaiswal showed superb game awareness and picked the gaps at ease in a 41-ball 68 (9 fours, 2 sixes) to brilliantly set it up for Rajasthan in its tall 190-run chase, which was completed with two balls to spare. Following the result, Royals moved to 14 points from 11 matches while Kings is on 10 points from 11 games.

The result meant that five-time champion Mumbai Indians became the first team to be eliminated from the 15th edition. Jaiswal, playing only his fourth match of the season, came into his element after ‘Orange Cap’ holder Jos Buttler (30 off 16 balls, 5 fours, 1 six) departed inside the powerplay post a flying start.

Skipper Sanju Samson (23 off 12 balls, 4 fours) was dismissed cheaply and there was a sense of concern in the Rajasthan camp. But, Jaiswal showed what he is capable of with his clean hitting all over the park. The left hander raced to his third IPL fifty – first this season – off just 33 balls as he handled the Punjab bowlers with ease.

Be it with his unorthodox reverse sweep off Rahul Chahar or lap scoop off Rishi Dhawan or the classical drives, Jaiswal looked in total control in a 37-ball 56-run partnership with Devdutt Padikkal (31 off 32 balls, 3 fours). No.5 batter Shimron Hetmyer finished things off with an unbeaten 31 off only 16 deliveries (3 fours, 2 sixes).

Earlier, leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal brilliantly set it up for Rajasthan by bowling a tidy spell of 4-0-28-3, which included 10 dot balls. Chahal, who had picked up just two wickets from the last four matches, looked threatening again.

He dismissed Punjab captain Mayank Agarwal (15) and its top run-getter Jonny Bairstow (56 off 40 balls, 8 fours, 1 six) in a span of three balls. The double blow derailed Punjab in the middle overs (10-15), where it made just 34 runs and lost three wickets.

Bairstow signalled his return to form with a fine half-century before Jitesh Sharma’s (38 not out off 18 balls, 4 fours, 2 sixes) cameo propelled Punjab to a challenging 189 for five. On a day when Shikhar Dhawan (12) struggled to get going, Bairstow looked effortless once he settled down and reached his first IPL fifty this season – eighth overall – in 34 balls.

BRIEF SCORES: Punjab Kings 189/5 in 20 overs (J Bairstow 56, Y Chahal 3/28) lost to Rajasthan Royals 190/4 in 19.4 overs (Y Jaiswal 68)