Shimron Hetmyer lived up to his Rs 8.5 crore price tag with a six-hitting exhibition before Yuzvendra Chahal and Trent Bout displayed their wizardry with the ball as Rajasthan Royals outwitted Lucknow Super Kings by three runs in an IPL game on Sunday.
Invited to bat, star West Indies batter Hetmyer smashed an unbeaten 36-ball 59 to lift RR from 67 for four to 165 for six in 20 overs. Trent Boult (2/30) then struck twice in a sensational opening over, while Chahal (4/41) picked up four wickets to achieve the feat of claiming 150 IPL victims.
RR skipper Sanju Samson was all praise for the 'Player of the Match' Chahal as he termed him the greatest leg-spinner that India has seen in the present.
"Chahal is someone who can be given the ball anytime from overs 1-20. He's the greatest leg-spinner, if I can say, that India's seen in the present. Thought why not use him more at the end when the pressure is more," Sanju said.
Kuldeep Sen, making his IPL debut, showed great nerves as he defended 15 runs in the last over as RR limited LSG to 162 for eight. With this win, RR bounced back from their four wicket loss to RCB in the last match to take the top position in the IPL standings, while LSG slipped to fifth spot.
"Feels good (to be top of the table). Depends on how he has bowled his first three overs. Got the feel that he has done well and he is confident (talking about Kuldeep Sen) to go and execute his wide yorker which he has been working in the off season. Saw him in Syed Mushtaq and he was nailing his wide yorkers. (Boult) Came to me before first ball, told me 'Sanju change of plan, I'm going to go around the wicket, and going straight in his legs and hit that bowled'. Funny to be around and his skills are commendable," Sanju added.
Defending the total, Boult produced a ripping late inswinging yorker to dismiss KL Rahul for a first-ball duck, before trapping Krishnappa Gowtham plumb in front in the opening over as LSG slipped to 1 for 2.
Prasidh Krishna then got rid of Jason Holder with a back of a length delivery which took a top-edge and balloned to Ravichandran Ashwin at mid-on.
Madhya Pradesh pacer Sen made an impressive IPL debut as he disturbed the woods of Deepak Hooda to leave LSG at 52 for four.
The wily Chahal then got into the act as he first foxed young Ayush Badoni (5), and then had Quinton de Kock (39) holed out to Riyan Parag and knocked back the leg stump of Krunal Pandya (22) as RR put one foot in the door.
Needing 34 runs off 12 balls, Stoinis accumulated 19 of Krishna in the puenltimate over but Sen held his nerves and gave away just one run in the first four balls to shine on his debut.
