RR vs DC | Riyan Parag takes flight with boundary bonanza to help Royals thwart Capitals by 12-runs

A lush green deck in the Pink City meant the Royals were up against it after losing the toss as the ball seamed, swung, and zipped through. Mukesh Kumar capitalized on the conditions by cleaning up Yashasvi Jaiswal with an inseaming beauty in the second over while skipper Sanju Samson nicked one in the last over of the powerplay after a sedate 15. Jos Buttler followed suit soon after to leave the Royals reeling at 36/3 after 7.2 overs, provoking their dugout to promote Ravichandran Ashwin up the order to join Riyan Parag at the crease. The move paid off as the veteran smacked three brilliant sixes during a half-century partnership before eventually holing out to Axar in the 14th over. Parag, who had been going run-a-ball for 26 runs till then, ensured he kept the momentum going by switching gears and embarking on a boundary extravaganza. The 22-year-old got to his half-century eight balls later, while Dhruv Jurel (20) and Shimron Hetmyer (14*) rattled off quick cameos at the other end, and capped off the innings with 25 runs in the final over off Anrich Nortje to set a daunting target of 186.

The Capitals got off to the perfect start in response with boundaries from David Warner and Mitchell Marsh getting them past 30 after just three overs. However, impact Player Nandre Burger spoiled the party by getting rid of the latter and Ricky Bhui in the space of three deliveries, but it was only enough to restrict their powerplay score to 59/2. Warner played the aggressor in a momentum-shifting partnership of 67 with Rishabh Pant but calamity struck when the duo got out in the space of two overs with eight overs to go. Yuzvendra Chahal thereafter firmly put the Royals in the driver’s seat by dispatching Abishek Porel for cheap and the equation soon read a challenging 53 off the last 21 deliveries. However, Trent Boult floored a chance to put the game to bed and Tristan Stubbs offered thanks by sending the next two balls into the crowd. Eventually, it fell upon Avesh Khan’s shoulders to defend 17 in the final over against Axar and the Proteas, and the right-arm quick nailed his yorkers with aplomb to get the hosts home.

Number 4 was a massive issue for the Royals last season. Now, Riyan Parag has played a key role in helping RR win 2 games, especially today.
Clutch at the death from the bowlers too. Well played. 👏#RRvsDC

— CricBlog ✍ (@cric_blog) March 28, 2024