@B0$
Ravindra Jadeja's fine all-round effort, backed up by a collective bowling show, helped Rajasthan Royals bounce back after two successive losses with a 40-run victory over Lucknow Super Giants. Despite a Powerplay collapse, Jadeja anchored the recovery to help the Royals reach a respectable 159 at Lucknow's Ekana stadium. The home team suffered another batting implosion around Mitch Marsh's fighting fifty, and were bundled out for just 119 in 18 overs. The win saw RR move up to the second spot in the standings.
@B1$
@B2$: Rajasthan Royals 159/6 in 20 overs (Ravindra Jadeja 43* off 29, Yashasvi Jaiswal 22 off 12; Mohsin Khan 2-17, Prince Yadav 2-29, Mohd. Shami 2-30) beat Lucknow Super Giants 119 all out in 18 overs (Mitchell Marsh 55 off 41; Jofra Archer 3-20, Nandre Burger 2-27, Ravindra Jadeja 1-29) by 40 runs
@B3$
Not much tonight. He was 8 off three balls before being stranded at the non-striker's end during an over in which Mohammed Shami dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel off successive deliveries. That was followed by five dot balls from Mohsin Khan, and the mounting pressure eventually got to the teenager. Digvesh Rathi also deserves plenty of credit for a brilliant running catch, leaving the Royals at 32/3 after four overs with their top-order aggressors back in the hut without causing much damage.
@B4$
Riyan Parag and Shimron Hetmyer added a run-a-ball 30 for the fourth wicket, but it was Jadeja who anchored the innings with two crucial partnerships to push the total past 150. He added 33 with Donovan Ferreira, who contributed a handy 20 off 19, and then an unbeaten 49-run stand for the seventh wicket with Impact Sub Shivam Dubey (19* off 11) in just 25 deliveries. That late surge helped RR make the most of the slog overs, with the pair scoring 32 runs in the final two overs. Jadeja, in particular, took on an already expensive Mayank Yadav in the final over.
@B5$
Mitchell Marsh got off the mark with two crisp boundaries off Archer, but wickets tumbled at the other end. A mix-up in the middle cost Ayush Badoni his wicket in the opening over. Nandre Burger then had Rishabh Pant caught behind for a three-ball duck in a second over that yielded just one run. Aiden Markram became the third LSG batter to fall for a duck, undone by extra bounce and top-edging Archer to the backpedalling 'keeper. At 31/3 after the Powerplay, LSG were already behind both RR and the required rate.
@B6$
Marsh's half-century helped steady the innings after the early collapse. He put together a 43-run stand with Nicholas Pooran (22 off 25) and another 37 with Himmat Singh (15 off 15), allowing both to settle. However, RR's spinners kept things tight, preventing any real acceleration. Marsh reached his fifty off 39 balls, bringing it up with a six off Burger to signal the death overs, but fell one ball later, giving RR a crucial breakthrough.
@B7$
If Burger's strike wasn't enough, Brijesh returned to remove Mukul Choudhary and then cleaned up Shami two balls later in a single over. With LSG reduced to 113/8, RR were firmly in control. Archer mopped up the tail, sealing a 40-run win and boosting his side's net run rate.
@B8$
The Royals next have a home game against the Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday (April 25). LSG play Kolkata Knight Riders at home, on Sunday (April 26).
