IPL 2020: Tewatia, Parag bat Rajasthan to victory over Sunrisers

Rahul Tewatia and Riyan Parag, who was brought back into the side, came to the party as Rajasthan Royals (RR) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and returned to winning ways in the Dream11 Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

Bowling first, RR did not let SRH openers – David Warner and Jonny Bairstow – make a flying start, conceding just six runs from the first three overs. While Shreyas Gopal conceded 7 in the fourth over, RR dismissed Bairstow in the fifth over.

The right-hander, who had hit a six over square leg, went for another big hit, but caught by a diving Sanju Samson as Kartik Tyagi gave RR their first breakthrough.

Warner and Manish Pandey pushed SRH past fifty in the 10^th over and completed the fifty-run partnership for the second wicket in the 11^th over.

SRH were looking to up the ante and in that process lost Warner in the 15^th over after Archer disturbed the timber to dismiss the SRH skipper for 48.

RR almost had their third wicket in the next over, but Pandey managed to survive as Tyagi misjudged the catch. The SRH batsman then hit a six in the same over to move into the 40s and take SRH closer to 110.

Pandey, who had earlier in the day completed 3000 IPL runs, brought up his half-century in the 17^th over. But, he departed in the next over as Jaydev Unadkat got the SRH batsman out for 54 with a slower delivery.

SRH, though scored 34 off the last two overs, with Kane Williamson hitting two sixes and Priyam Garg contributing with a six and a four to take their team to 158/4 at the close of 20 overs.

In the chase, RR opted to open the innings with Ben Stokes, who was playing his first game of the season after serving the mandatory quarantine, and Jos Buttler.

While the England all-rounder hit a four in the first over, he chopped one back onto the stumps in the next over as Khaleel Ahmed struck. SRH kept things tight, giving away not more than 14 runs in the first three overs.

While Jos Buttler hit a four and a six in the fourth over, RR lost Steve Smith in the same over via run-out. Buttler was the next man to get out in the next over as Khaleel picked his second wicket after Bairstow took a good low catch.

Robin Uthappa and Sanju Samson then added 37 runs together to take RR past 60, but the partnership was broken in the 10^th over as Rashid Khan trapped Uthappa before the wickets.

Rashid picked his second wicket of the match as he had Sanju Samson caught behind the wickets for 28.

RR were 94/5 at the end of the 15^th over and needed some big hits to score 65 runs to secure a win and Riyan Parag and Rahul Tewatia did just that.

While Riyan Parag tonked a six and two fours, Tewatia hit a six as RR scored 29 runs in the course of the next two overs.

The 18^th over saw Tewatia going after Rashid, hitting three fours – two of which were of reverse-sweeps. The left-hander also enjoyed a stroke of luck in the same over as he survived a stumping after the bails did not fall after the ball ricocheted off Bairstow’s feet onto the stumps.

RR needed 24 runs from the last two overs and Rahul Tewatia a four and a six as RR scored 14 off the penultimate over bowled by T Natarajan.

RR required 8 in the final over to win the game and it all came down to 2 from 2. But Riyan Parag closed out the game with a six as RR registered their third win, with a ball to spare. (IPL)