After parag

Impact Player Abishek Porel: Riyan Parag enthralled the home fans by smashing an eye-catchy unbeaten 84 off just 45 deliveries, while Yuzvendra Chahal and Nandre Burger picked two wickets each, followed by Sandeep Sharma and Avesh Khan producing excellent death overs bowling as Rajasthan Royals beat Delhi Capitals by 12 runs to continue the trend of home teams winning all Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 matches so far at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Thursday.

After Parag’s coming of-the-age knock, laced with seven fours and six maximums, helped RR make a competitive 185/5, captain Sanju Samson made his bowling changes spot-on and the bowlers didn’t let him down even as seam movement reduced and the threat of dew beckoned, especially with Avesh and Sandeep using yorkers and wide lines to good effect in the death overs, by restricting DC to 173/5.

Parag was slow to begin, making just 26 runs off the first 26 balls he faced, as RR made 58/3 in their first ten overs. But he flicked a switch after Ravichandran Ashwin’s pinch-hitting cameo, making 58 runs in just his next 19 balls, connecting very well with the deliveries and sending them over the boundary rope to make his best-ever IPL score, which became a match-winning effort.