Friday, March 29 2024
Royals make in two in two at Jaipur
Following an awful 2023 season in which they could scarcely win a game at home, the Rajasthan Royals won back-to-back games at Jaipur to begin 2024, defeating the Delhi Capitals by 12 runs. On an evening when their celebrated top-order of Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Sanju Samson failed, Riyan Parag stole the show, building on his strong performance against LSG in the season opener with his career-best IPL knock. David Warner and Tristan Stubbs gave their everything for the Capitals as the pursuit came down to the last over, where Avesh Khan’s ice under pressure delivered for the home team. Yuzvendra Chahal also had an important middle-overs spell in which he struck twice, including the major scalp of Rishabh Pant.
A deep dive into Parag 2.0
If the first game against LSG was a preview of his abilities, here was Riyan Parag demonstrating why he had been backed all these years. The Assam batter has been prolific in the last two domestic seasons, and on March 28, he showed off his entire range, dashing the Capitals’ chances of limiting the Royals to a low total. Parag has always had a wide range of shots and enormous power; it was only a matter of putting that potential into performances. This bizarre yet well-paced knockout against DC could be just what Parag needs to make a statement.
What’s on the menu tonight
A possible run-fest at Chinnaswamy as RCB and KKR prepare for what should be a thrilling match. The surface for the first game at this venue was not very high-scoring by its standards, but there are indications that this pitch may be closer to the truer decks seen historically. Both teams are loaded with explosive batsmen who can shred the bowling apart, so we could be in for another wild ride. Among all the struggles, the main subplot could be who would reign supreme between Glenn Maxwell and Andre Russell. Check out the match preview for more prematch information.
