Captain Curran stars as Punjab Kings get consolation win over Rajasthan Royals in IPL

Captain Sam Curran's brilliant all-round performance (2/24 & 63* off 41) coupled with a collective and disciplined bowling effort helped Punjab Kings (PBKS) edge Rajasthan Royals in a low-scoring tightly-fought contest at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati.

Captain Sam Curran set the tone in the first over, dismissing Yashasvi Jaiswal. RR never got any sort of consistent momentum from then on as some accurate bowling maintained the stranglehold on the RR batters. Apart from Harpreet Brar, every PBKS bowler picked up at least one wicket as the visitors restricted the hosts to 144/9. In reply, PBKS stuttered and were reduced to 48/4, but Curran kept his calm and added vital stands of 63 and 34* with Jitesh Sharma and Ashutosh Sharma, respectively, to take the visitors past the finish line.

Defending 145, RR needed Trent Boult to do Trent Boult things, and the senior pacer delivered, picking up a wicket, once again, in the first over. Prabhsimran had smacked the earlier ball straight down the ground for a four but Boult bounced back next ball, having the PBKS opener caught at short third man as he miscued his swing charging down the track. Jonny Bairstow and Rilee Rossouw then launched a counter-attack, cracking six fours off the next three overs. However, against the run of play, Avesh Khan turned things around, having Russouw caught at backward point for 22(13) and then trapping Shashank Singh LBW in the same over. 

RR kept a tight leash on the scoring, and it brought about another wicket as Yuzvendra Chahal dismissed Bairstow via an excellently judged tag-team catch from Ferreira and Parag.

Captain Sam Curran and Jitesh Sharma then started the resurrection process. The duo were watchful to start off but then slowly upped the ante. Jitesh and Curran smashed a powerful six each, off Ashwin, in the 15th over to take 14 off the over.

The pair added 63 off 45 balls, but Samson brought Chahal back in the 16th over and he provided the breakthrough, having Jitesh (22 off 20) caught at long on. PBKS sent in Ashutosh Sharma as their Impact Player, replacing Arshdeep Singh. 

With 33 needed off 24, Avesh Khan gave away just four off the first five balls of the 17th over, but Ashutosh uppercut the last ball over the keeper for a four to bring the equation to 25 needed off 18. Curran brought up his 50 off 38 balls in the next over, and he followed it up with a crucial six over deep square leg off Sandeep Sharma to bring the equation down to 15 needed off 12. The pair made sure that there were no last-over nerves as they finished it off in the next over with three singles and two powerful sixes as PBKS won by five wickets.

Earlier, Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson won the toss and elected to bat. Punjab Kings got off to a good start, restricting RR to 38/1 in the Powerplay. The visitors achieved an early breakthrough as captain Sam Curran bounced back strongly to dismiss Yashasvi Jaiswal in the first over. Jaiswal has started off with a crunching four through the covers off the first ball of the match, but Curran made him drag on onto the stumps two balls later.  

Debutant Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who had walked out to open the batting with Jaiswal, and captain Sanju Samson played some attractive strokes but couldn't quite make the best use of the Powerplay as PBKS largely kept it tight with disciplined bowling. Harshal Patel and Nathan Ellis had piled on the pressure, and that brought the big wicket of the RR captain who cut one straight to backward point, off Ellis. Rahul Chahar too cashed in as he struck in his first over, having Kohler-Cadmore caught at long on. RR promoted R Ashwin at No.5. He, along with Riyan Parag, dealt mostly in singles to start off, as RR reached 58/3 at the halfway mark, having hit just seven fours and one six.

Ashwin finally pressed the accelerator in the 12th over, smacking a six and a couple of fours off Chahar to take 17 off the over.

Just when RR were gaining some sort of momentum, they were jolted as Arshdeep had Ashwin (28 off 19) caught at deep point. And one again brought two as Curran came back to have Dhruv Jurel caught at mid-wicket in the next over. Rovman Powell started off with a cracking four through covers but couldn't last long as he hit one back uppishly to Chahar and was caught and bowled.

RR sent in Donovan Ferreira as their Impact Player, replacing Jurel. Parag, who had held fort at one end, then opened up post the second strategic timeout, hitting a couple of fours off Arshdeep, but he got lucky off the next ball as Arshdeep couldn't hold on to a tough return catch. Ferreira, who couldn't get going, then departed via an excellently judged catch in the deep by Rilee Rossouw.

Boult arrived and got a couple of fours, one steered, one streaky off the inside edge. RR's hopes were on Parag to provide the final flourish in the last over but he departed off the second ball, missing a slow full toss from Harshal and getting trapped LBW for 48(34). Boult was run out off the last ball, scampering through for a risky second. Harshal bowled a fantastic last over, giving away just six runs as RR finished with 144/9.