[Sports] IPL 2022: Royals show pedigree

[Ga[M]er]

By the 15th over, Sunrisers Hyderabad’s asking rate had climbed to 23-plus. They were gasping for breath at 72/5, back-to-back sixes from Romario Shepherd notwithstanding. The game was long done and dusted, when Sunrisers slipped to 14/3 inside the Powerplay, against Rajasthan Royals’ 210/6. In the end, Sunrisers lost by 61 runs. They were never in the game.

Royals flex muscles

By the look of it, Royals want to set the record straight this term. One of the perennial also-rans of the Indian Premier League, barring the first season when they won the tournament under Shane Warne’s captaincy, Royals basically played to make up the numbers. A change could be on the cards. It reflected in the franchise’s aggressive auction strategy and in the 15th edition of the IPL, they have a team that can flex its muscles. Batting, pace and spin – Royals have covered all the bases.

Their tournament opener in Pune on Tuesday was a case in point. Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal stitched a quickfire 58-run opening partnership. Sanju Samson scored a gorgeous half-century, coming in at No. 3. Devdutt Padikkal gave his skipper good company, making 41 off 29 balls and adding 73 runs for the third wicket. Shimron Hetmyer put the finishing touches with a 13-ball 32. The Royals batting thrived on its depth.
Their fast bowling was spearheaded by Trent Boult’s quality, Prasidh Krishna’s swing and Nathan Coulter-Nile’s hit-the-deck stuff. The Aussie didn’t have a good game, but Boult and Krishna used the new ball superbly. Krishna took out Kane Williamson and Rahul Tripathi, while Boult accounted for Nicholas Pooran. New-ball bowling was the key on a greenish Pune pitch. Royals sizzled, Sunrisers fizzled.
https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/ipl/ipl-2022-rajasthan-royals-vs-sunrisers-hyderabad-match-report-7843348/