Rajasthan Royals’ star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja delivered a vintage performance to guide his side back to winning ways, helping them end a two-match losing streak with a thumping victory over Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Stadium, Lucknow.
In a touching moment after the game, Jadeja dedicated his ‘Player of the Match’ award to his wife, Rivaba Jadeja, who currently serves as a minister in Gujarat. The southpaw revealed that she had predicted his impactful outing a day prior to the game, making the gesture even more special.
Coming in at a tricky situation with RR struggling at 77/5, Jadeja anchored the innings brilliantly with an unbeaten 43. He stitched together a crucial 49-run stand with impact player Shubham Dubey (19* off 11), ensuring the Royals posted a competitive total of 159 on a challenging surface.
He then made his presence felt with the ball as well, breaking a key partnership by dismissing Nicholas Pooran, who was beginning to look dangerous alongside Mitchell Marsh during the chase.
“Feeling good, winning Man of the match. I want to dedicate the award to the education minister of Gujarat [which is his wife]. She said yesterday that I will do well and I did. Wicket was not easy to bat because the ball was seaming and swinging. I wanted to play long as much as I can. In T20 cricket, you never know last over you can cash in and we did,” Jadeja said during a post-match presentation.
Defending 159, the lowest successfully defended score this season, RR’s bowling unit came out firing. Jofra Archer led the charge, while Nandre Burger and Brijesh Sharma chipped in with two wickets apiece. Jadeja and Ravi Bishnoi also contributed with a wicket each as LSG were bundled out for just 119 in 18 overs.
With this clinical performance, Rajasthan Royals climbed to second place in the points table, regaining momentum at a crucial stage of the tournament. This was Jadeja’s 17th POTM award in Indian Premier League history.
