Rajasthan Royals (RR) registered their fifth win of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season on April 13 (Saturday) by defeating the Punjab Kings (PBKS) by three wickets in a last-over thriller. The Royals' victory was mainly because of Shimron Hetmyer's brilliance under pressure as the explosive left-handed batter kept his composure and played a match-winning cameo to take his franchise to the promised land.
Chasing a tricky target of 148 runs, the Royals required 10 runs off the final over. Hetmyer played two consecutive dots and the equation was down to 10 runs off four balls. The West Indies' batter showed immense calmness and nailed his execution in the next three balls. He deposited Arshdeep Singh's third ball for a six and followed it up with a couple of runs. On the penultimate ball of the match, Hetmyer launched a six and finished the game in style.
Hetmyer reveals his game plan under pressure
Hetmyer finished the game not out, scoring 27 runs from 10 balls, which included one four and three sixes. Consequently, Rajasthan managed to reach the target with just one ball remaining and three wickets in hand. For his impressive knock, Hetmyer was awarded the Man of the Match award.
Hetmyer reflected on his innings and spoke about how he managed to keep his composure in the final over of a nail-biting contest.
"It's just practice, I try as much as possible in the nets. I try my best to hit sixes. I am happy that I helped my team today," Hetmyer told the broadcasters, as quoted by Cricbuzz.
"They (pressure) creep in the first couple of balls, afterwards I try to keep it as clear as possible. I spoke to Boulty and he said, "I got it." I said I'll try my best to get a single (off the penultimate ball), even if we don't win it, at least tie it. Being away from family, the only way you could keep yourself up is by just enjoying every moment," he added.
Securing another win, the Rajasthan Royals strengthened their lead at the top of the points table, having won five out of their six matches so far. Conversely, the Punjab Kings suffered their fourth defeat of the season and remain with only two victories from six matches.
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