PBKS vs RR highlights, IPL 2023: Jaiswal, Padikkal and Hetmyer’s cameos help RR beat PBKS by 4 wickets

It has been one of those games were the Royals tried their best to lose it however, they got over the line somehow at the end. It has been a tame effort by them as they had the chance to kill this game off many times however, found a way to give Punjab an opening.  Rajasthan now would be hoping the results would go their way in the next two days.  Punjab on the other hand will be disappointed with their fielding on the night. It has been a bittersweet tournament for them.

Sam Curran picks up Shimron Hetmyer. RR is losing their way in this game slowly. Punjab somehow managed to drag this game into the final over. RR in the second half of the season has found ways to lose. And today it seems like it is going the same way. After 19 over Rajasthan Royals 179/6

Kagiso Rabada picks up Riyan Parag, RR five down. It has been a good cameo by Parag given the situation he bettered things for the Royals. Punjab on the other hand have never let RR completely go away with the game they kept them under check by picking regular wickets. After 18.1 over Rajasthan Royals 173/5

Excellent over from Sam Curran he just gave away six runs in the over pulling back things for Punjab. The game is still very much on the balance. Punjab needs to bowl here well at the death though as Hetmyer is now well set and Parag is also looking in good touch. After 17.2 over Rajasthan Royals 168/4

This might be a good game for Parag to resurrect his IPL career. The run-rate required is pretty manageable and these are some of the best batting conditions added to that one of the brutal strikers of a cricket ball is batting at the other end. If he can have a not-out next to his name at the end of the game it will give him huge confidence. After 15.1 over Rajasthan Royals 153/4

Yashasvi Jaiswal departs after scoring a half-century. The left-hander trying to reverse-sweep Nathan Ellis gets caught by Rishi Dhawan at point who takes a sharp catch. Huge wicket for the Royals. They still need around 50 runs to win this game. Punjab have picked up wickets from time to time to stay in the game. After 14.3 over Rajasthan Royals 137/4

Shimron Hetmyer since coming in has upped the ante. There seems to be a hurry in the way the Royals are batting and seems like they want to finish this off quickly. Riyan Parag is padded up and looks like he might be the next one to come in if a wicket falls.  After 14.1 over Rajasthan Royals 135/3

Unlike his previous knock Jaiswal today is playing a different innings. He is holding an end up and playing sensibly. He is showing excellent temperament whilst the wickets are falling at the other end. He needs to carry on to see Royals home today.  After 13 over Rajasthan Royals 116/3

Despite two back-to-back wickets, Arshdeep struggled to keep a lid on the scoring rate. Seem like RR not only wants to win this game but looks like they want to finish it as quickly as possible. They also need to be careful in the process as they don't want to keep losing wickets. After 12 over Rajasthan Royals 103/3

Rahul Chahar picks up Sanju Samson, and RR is three down. The skipper trying to slog sweep the leg-spinner gets caught at deep mid-wicket. Poor piece of cricket by Samson as the foundation was already laid he could have taken his time and set up the chase nicely instead he just threw his wicket away. After 11 over Rajasthan Royals 91/3

Devdutt Padikkal departs after a well-made 50. the left-hander trying to cut the ball on the off-side ends up giving a catch to point fielder Harpreet Brar. Much needed a breakthrough for Punjab Kings as the Padikkal and Jaiswal were looking to change the gears and take the game away. After 10.1 over Rajasthan Royals 87/2

Both the left-handers are batting well here. They are getting an odd boundary and keeping the rate in check and in between that they have been excellent with their running in between wickets. This is a good partnership as it a laying a solid foundation in the massive chase. After 9 over Rajasthan Royals 76/1 

The Punjab skipper is operating with pace from the other end. Ellis is a good bowler when is comes to varying his pace effectively and in the first innings we have seen how the ball was gripping a bit for those who were bowling slower ones. The game seems to be on balance now. A wicket here or a big over may bring in either of the side in front. After 8 over Rajasthan Royals 67/1 

The leg-spinner has started well. He stuck to his lines and lengths in the very first over. He might be looking to bowl a lot of gogglies compared to orthodox leg-spinners as there are two left-handers in the middle. It will be also interesting to if Dhawan uses Brar today or not. After 7 over Rajasthan Royals 61/1 

Devdutt Padikkal too has started well here. It has not been hard-hitting but pure timing and classic cricket shots. Shikhar Dhawan decided to use Rabada for his third over in the powerplay which did not work. This has been a solid Powerplay from Rajasthan Royals. They need to break this partnership immediately. After 6 over Rajasthan Royals 57/1

This has been a poor start in the field by PBKS they have let a few boundaries and gave away easy singles. If they have to defend this total on a good batting surface they need to help the bowlers in every way possible to build that pressure. So far there has been nothing from fielders. After 5 over Rajasthan Royals 46/1

Yashasvi Jaiswal is looking in good touch here. He is playing some sublime shots. Despite a hint of moment the youngster seems to be untroubled. For Royals to get over the line today he might have to play a key part here. After 4.1 over Rajasthan Royals 38/1

After an expensive first over from Sam Curran Shikhar replaced him with Arshdeep Singh who struggled with his lines as well. Punjab needs to keep things tight at the other end and field properly or they may lose this game despite getting a decent total. They need to support Rabada as his in a good rhythm tonight. After 3.1 over Rajasthan Royals 28/1

Kagiso Rabada picks up Jos Buttler for a duck. The ball came back in sharply and Buttler was trapped in front of the wicket. There seems to be a hint of swing on offer for the bowlers. Rabada is looking in good rhythm. Devdutt Padikkal has walked into the middle for the Royals. After 2 over Rajasthan Royals 16/1

The in-form opener has started well here once again. Anything which was loose by Sam Curran Jaiswal pounced on it. This is a good start for the Royals in the chase. The batting conditions also seem to get better now compared to the first innings. After 1 over Rajasthan Royals 12/0

When I went in (to bat) we had lost wickets, so I thought of taking the game deep, that's what I and Curran had a chat about. Fortunately we got 46 runs of the last two overs. Wickets in hand would have helped us to get more than 200, but I think this is a good score. I think if the new ball bowlers bowl in the right areas, it will help us. I thought Chahal would bowl earlier, but didn't think Sanju (Samson) would keep him for the 19th over. This is a par score, because it seams at this venue, I think we can restrict them.

Punjab has extracted 46 runs in the last 12 balls. It has been carnage in the final overs from the hosts. At one stage of the innings, one might be wondering if they can post a good total to challenge this formidable batting RR lineup on paper and yes they have. They have the momentum going into the break if they can pick a couple of early wickets the wounds imparted by RCB in RR's last game when they were bowled out for 59 may be wide-opened again. We have a humdinger on our hands' Folks stay with us for second-half action. 

Sam Curran went after Chahal and he had no answers for it. The momentum seems to be completely swinging towards Punjab now. At one stage of the innings it looked like 175 will be a good total, however, now the way things went in the last few overs 190 is looking a possibility.  After 19.1 over Punjab Kings 173/5

Making a comeback into the side Saini had a brilliant outing. He bowled with pace initially and mixed up his pace later in the innings. His three wickets broke the back of Punjab's middle order. All in all, this has been a very good bowling performance from the Royals so far. After 18.1 over Punjab Kings 145/5

The Australian leggie has delivered whenever he has been called upon by the Royals this season and he did the same again today. He kept the batters at arm's length and picked up a wicket of Dhawan early on. He has been Mr Reliable for the Royals with the ball. After 17 over Punjab Kings 133/5

It has been a day to forget for Sandeep Sharma. Neither has his slower ball worked nor did his bouncers. He was smashed around the park. It is a good tactic by Sanju Samson to finish him early on as he might have gone for plenty in the death overs. It is also very interesting to see how Samson uses his spinners from here on. After 16 over Punjab Kings 125/5

The Royals are now tightening the screws here. Chahal bowled an excellent over on the back of Saini's wicket-tacking over. This is a good time for Rajasthan Royals to get through a few quiet overs and restrict the opposition further. After 15 over Punjab Kings 117/5

Navdeep Saini breaks the partnership by picking Jitesh Sharma. Saini had the last laugh as Sharma was starting to look ominous as he scored a couple of sumptuous boundaries in the over. Seems like has had decided to target Saini before the over and went after him. However, Saini deceived the batter with a slower one which he could not pick up and was caught in the ring behind the wicket. After 14 over Punjab Kings 115/5

This has been good batting from Jitesh Sharma and Sam Curran they have been cautious in their batting and took the chances from time to time. Now one of the batters must take more chances and help Punjab to get to at least around the 175-mark. After 13.1 over Punjab Kings 100/4

Namit Kumar: It was a tense moment for the Punjab Kings in the middle of the eighth over as they lost their fourth wicket for just 50 runs. But moments after seeing his stumps knocked over, as Navdeep Saini flailed in celebration in front of him, Liam Livingstone could not help himself and let out a laugh. 

His dismissal was comedic in a way, although Shikhar Dhawan may not see it that way. After struggling for clean connection throughout his 13-ball stint at the crease, he unleashed a wild swing of the bat - his head position and bat face as out-of-sync as physically possible - going across the line and completely missing the ball which bundled over his off and middle stump. A swing that would not be out of place in baseball or golf which somehow feels commonplace in the IPL. After 12 over Punjab Kings 94/4

This has been a good partnership for Punjab so far. They would be hoping for Sam Curran and Jitesh Sharma in the middle to bat for a bit longer for the following power hitters to explode in the final overs of the innings. Given the conditions here and the death bowling woes of Rajasthan Royals, Punjab may extract a substantial amount from the phase. After 11.1 over Punjab Kings 86/4

The medium pacer was put to the sword by Jitesh Sharma. He went after him and he seems to have no answers for the onslaught. At the moment it looks like Samson has to get through his remaining two overs from somewhere else. After 10.2 over Punjab Kings 83/4

The all-time leading wicket-taker in IPL has started well. He bowled slower than usual which the batters could not pick up. The wickets seem to be a bit on the slower side as the batters are playing shots too early. This might not be the same kind of surface we witnessed the other day. After 9 over Punjab Kings 62/4

Namit Kumar: In Rajasthan Royals' two debilitating recent defeats that likely knocked them out of playoff contention, against Hyderabad and Bangalore, the absence of Trent Boult was sorely felt. His ability to swing the new ball, despite not getting much help from the surface, has allowed him to take eight wickets in the first over in the IPL, and it was Punjab's in-form opener Prabhsimran Singh's turn to fall prey to that ability this time around.

The Kiwi loaded a full-length inswinger that held its shape until the last moment, outfoxing Prabhsimran in the crease who had committed to an aggressive stance with hard hands. He retracted his shot at the last minute but it was not enough, knocking the ball back into Boult's hands. Atharva Taide nearly lost his wicket in exactly similar fashion, this time the ball was hit harder and Boult was forced to dive to his right and couldn't get a hold of it.

The use of a left-arm fast bowler that can make use of the new ball has been a trend seen across the board in the IPL, and Boult's iteration is the archetype. After 8 over Punjab Kings 59/4

Navdeep Saini picks up Liam Livingstone, PBKS four down. The right-hander tried to play an ugly swipe across the line only to get himself bowled. He had a cheeky smile on his face as he walked back. What a comeback this is turning out to be by Navdeep Saini. In-form Jitesh Sharma is walked into the middle. After 7 over Punjab Kings 53/4

Adam Zampa picks up Shikhar Dhawan, PBKS three down in Powerplay. The Punjab skipper trying to sweep Zampa was trapped in front of the wickets. Dhawan did not even bother reviewing the decision. Sam Curran has walked into the middle for Punjab. After 6 over Punjab Kings 48/3

It is something Rajasthan has been doing throughout the tournament whenever Boult played which is to bowl three of his overs upfront and they did it again today despite there has been no swing on offer. He did not pick up any wicket in the over but stemmed the flow of runs.  After 5 over Punjab Kings 45/2

Navdeep Saini picks up Atharva Taide, PBKS two down in Powerplay. The Royals seamer on a comeback was greeted with a couple of boundaries however, he picked up a wicket when Taide pulled a short one straight to Paddikal. Last match's hero for Punjab Liam Livingstone walked into the middle and started off with a boundary. After 4 over Punjab Kings 42/2

The Punjab skipper has come out with intent today and he looks like he is in the mood for a big one. The surface has offered nothing for the fast bowlers and only we have to wait and see how spinners do on it. As per the evidence so far looks like we are going to have a highscoring game. After 3.1 over Punjab Kings 34/1

The new ball specialist taking the ball from the other end could not make much of an impact. Shikhar Dhawan went after him and constantly looked to get down the track. Sanju Samson decided to come up to the stumps for Sandeep. He also bowled a no-ball in the over which went for a boundary. This wicket already looks like a batting paradise. After 2 over Punjab Kings 18/1

Trent Boult picks up Prabhsimran Singh in the first over. It is the left-arm seamer who does it again for Rajasthan Royals. Prabhsimran trying to defend one gets too much on the bat on and Boult takes a brilliant caught and bowl. The wicket seems to be a bit sticky at the moment. Atharva Taide has walked into the middle. After 1 over Punjab Kings 2/1

It is a virtual knockout for both sides. All they can do is win this game and wait for other results to go their way. By winning this they give themselves a chance to qualify for the playoffs. It is going to be a sensational clash expect some serious fireworks on this terrific batting track. Stay with us for all the live action. 

RR Impact Subs: Dhruv Jurel, Donovan Ferreira, Akash Vasisht, Kuldeep Sen, Murugan Ashwin.

PBKS Impact Subs: Nathan Ellis, Sikandar Raza, Rishi Dhawan, Mohit Rathee, Matthew Short.

Shikhar Dhawan(c), Prabhsimran Singh, Atharva Taide, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Jitesh Sharma(w), Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson(w/c), Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Adam Zampa, Trent Boult, Navdeep Saini, Sandeep Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal

Last match, dew wasn't much. First batting or second, it shouldn't change much. We will come and enjoy the game. Will try to give our best shot. We need to take more wickets in the first 6 overs. We can cash in more. We are playing the same team.

We will bowl. Looking at the dimensions and looking as to what we require in the tournament, it is better to bowl. We need to win the game. Then see how the other games go. If you want to play good T20 cricket, you need to forget things. We have had four to five days off. One has to understand the conditions. We have couple of changes. Last minute changes. Ashwin misses out because of a back spasm.

R Ashwin misses out with a back spasm

Punjab Kings unchanged for the clash

We'd like to finish on a high tonight. With the players we've had available for this series, we've been reasonably happy. We've lost a few close ones, we've won some close ones. We said at the start we had a reasonably young inexperienced team and to go so close so far, I think it's been a reasonable tournament for us. A little bit of lack of experience to start with, but the only way you get experience is by exposing these guys to playing. Jitesh and Prabhsimran have done really well. Looking forward to seeing how they progress over the next couple of years. From a bowling sense, we got to pitch the ball up just a fraction more in the first six overs and use the wicket with the new ball. There's not much room for error on this wicket. You've got to be very accurate but you also got to be understanding that some of your good balls will be going for a boundary as well.

In the last one year, Prabhsimran started to perform. He found his consistency. He had an excellent Syed Mushtaq Ali, where he scored 320 runs, including four fifty-plus scores, and at a healthy strike rate of 141.59. He carried his performance in the Ranji Trophy, scoring 571 runs at an average of 63.37, including two hundreds.

It's the same surface which was used against DC. Talking about dimensions, it's equidistant on either side - 65 metres apiece, a hit straight downtown is 76 metres. Tonight it's a similar surface, although I do note one change is it there isn't so much of that green, that live grass into it. It's not going to have as much movement off the seam inside the powerplay. Don't think it's gonna help the spinners much either. Good batting track. I would bat first, the dew is not going to be a factor either. Bat first, know your total and get about defending it. That's key tonight.

Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Devdutt Padikall; and in their last game they added Joe Root to their batting order. This is a formidable batting line-up however, all of these players have done well in T20s in batting in the top three.

He placed his arm on my shoulder and told me ‘You are here because you have worked hard. Think about them who are still toiling hard in domestic cricket, and are not picked by any team. Enjoy this phase. Train hard, and practice as per the match situation. Improve your game and it is not necessary that you will do well whenever you get a chance, but you will have that satisfaction. As an athlete, our job is to keep working hard and leave the rest to destiny.

Not too long ago Sanju Samson’s men were at the top of the table with five wins in five and were the side to beat this season. However, in the last eight games, they have only won two and look like a side who have completely lost momentum.

The Royals have gone for 10.63 at the death this season so far. They have used Trent Boult upfront when he was available and finished him off before the 15th more often than not. This meant that Samson had to rely upon an inexperienced Indian pace bowling contingent to do the job at the backend. Kuldip Yadav, KM Asif and Kuldeep Sen still don’t have the experience or skills at this level to bowl at the death and get away against the power hitters of the other sides.

Rajasthan Royals, on the other hand, need a win and then will need RCB and MI to lose their respective upcoming games.  RR enjoy a better NRR than MI, but it is less than RCB. To overtake RCB, RR will need to win it big and can’t afford any slip ups. A defeat of either team will mark the end of the road. In case of a washout, both teams will be eliminated.

PBKS lost their last match against Delhi Capitals and have made it quite difficult for themselves and they are now dependent on other results in order to qualify for the knockouts.  With RCB beating SRH on Thursday, the onus is now on PBKs to win by a massive margin. For example if they bat first then the margin of victory has to be 54 runs or more to overtake RCB’s NRR. Similarly, if they are chasing then they will have to chase down the a target of say 180 runs in a 6.4 overs.

The Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium’s surface is ideal for batting. Any score that is close to 200 will be a solid score, and bowling first will be great because dew can be quite important in the game’s second half.

In the 25 matches that these two teams have played against one another in the IPL’s history to date, Rajasthan Royals have won the remaining games while Punjab Kings have triumphed in 11 of them. In their most recent matchup this season, Punjab Kings defeated Rajasthan Royals by a score of 5 runs.