IPL 2024: Parag's explosive knock and clinical bowling guide RR to 12-run win over DC

Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], March 28 : Rajasthan Royals continued the trend of the home team emerging victorious this IPL season, as they clinched a 12-run win over Delhi Capitals on Thursday in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.
This marked the ninth consecutive win in nine games for the home team. The Australian duo of Mitchell Marsh (23) and David Warner (49) got off to a brisk start as DC amassed 30 runs in 2.1 overs.
Nandre Burger breached Marsh's defence to claim the first wicket while chasing 186. Rick Bhui fell in the same over for a two-ball duck.
Skipper Rishabh Pant and Warner strung a 67-run stand to keep DC on track of the chase. Warner fell for 49 and Pant departed moments late.
Impact Player Abhishek Porel failed to contribute much, unlike the previous game. Tristan Stubbs tried to pull off late heroics by scoring two consecutive sixes in Ravichandran Ashwin's over.
But Sandeep Sharma and Avesh Khan kept their nerves to get RR across the finishing line.
Throughout the chase, DC struggled to push for runs as the wicket got slower and RR held on to their line and length.
Earlier in the innings, after winning the toss, DC skipper Rishabh Pant sent the Royals to bat first at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.
Yashasvi Jaiswal (5 runs from 7 balls) and Jos Buttler (11 runs from 16 balls), who opened for the hosts, failed to get their team off to a flier. While Jaiswal found the fence once, Buttler struggled to get going.
DC pacer Mukesh Kumar made the first breakthrough for DC after he castled Yashasvi in the second over. Later in the 6th over, just before the end of the first powerplay, spinner Kuldeep Yadav removed Buttler.
After the dismissal of the two openers, Sanju Samson (15 runs from 14 balls) and Riyan Parag (84 runs from 45 balls) took control of the RR innings. Although the skipper fell early after smashing three boundaries, Parag came out all guns firing and blazed his way to 84 off 45 balls, smacking 7 fours and 6 towering sixes. He brought up his runs at a strike rate of 186.67.
In a move that few saw coming, the Royals sent Ravichandran Ashwin (29 runs from 19 balls) out to bat after the fall of skipper Samson's wicket. However, the veteran spinning ace played role of an enforcer to perfection, as he clobbered three sixes before being caught in the ropes while going for a fourth.
Axar Patel cut short Ashwin's stay at the crease as he had him caught deep inside the ropes in the 14th over.
Keeper Dhruv Jurel (20 runs from 12 balls), who came in at the fall of Ashwin's wicket, also played a crucial hand as he carted 3 fours, going at a strike rate of 166.67. However, that was before DC tearaway Nortje sent back Jurel in the 18th over.
In the last over of their innings, Parag and Shimron Hetmyer (14 runs from 7 balls) added crucial runs on the scoreboard, taking Rajasthan to an imposing total of 185/5. Parag slammed 3 fours and 2 sixes in the 20th over, with Nortje conceding 25 runs.
While the Delhi bowlers had something to show in the wickets column, Axar was the most economical of all the DC bowlers on show as he conceded just 21 runs and picked up a wicket.
Brief scores: Rajasthan Royals 185/5 (Riyan Parag 84*, Ravichandran Ashwin 29, Dhruv Jurel 20; Axar Patel 1/21) beat Delhi Capitals 173/5 (David Warner 49, Tristan Stubbs 44*, Mitchell Marsh 23; Yuzvendra Chahal 2/19).