With their seven-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants on Tuesday, Rajasthan Royals recorded their seventh win of the season and now need to win their last match against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday to qualify for the play-offs without depending on other results.
Punjab Kings are currently on 13 points, and with their last match against Lucknow Super Giants on Saturday, the maximum they can reach is 15 points. With the last match of their campaign like a pre-quarterfinal, stand-in skipper Yashasvi Jaiswal shared how the team needs to be balanced and enjoy the game rather than dwelling on the pressure.
“I think I just want to play with a smile and enjoy the beautiful game of cricket. I think that is the fun if we go and we’ll enjoy and relax with a smile, even if things are going our way, if it doesn’t as well. We need to be balanced and enjoy the game and enjoy the crowd, the fans’ love and everything. I think it would be incredible if we can put all our efforts into it,” shared Jaiswal while speaking in the post-match presentation.
Batting first, Lucknow Super Giants were once looking set to post a total above 250 with the team placed at 151 for 1 in 12.1 overs. The team could score only 69 runs in the next 7.5 overs, including 26 runs in the last three overs. Royals’ pacer Jofra Archer gave away only five runs in the last over of the innings and picked up three wickets. With Brijesh Sharma and Sandeep Sharma having some niggles, Jaiswal shared how he managed his bowling resources and how Archer and his other bowlers showed character. “I think Brijesh (Sharma)got some niggles and Sandy bhai (Sandeep Sharma) also. So I had to manage in the game. So I did that. I wanted to bring (Dasun Shanaka) in and if he can bowl well, I can bowl him for one or two overs. Then Brijesh came back. So I had to manage them. Because in my mind, I was sure about the last four overs who was going to bowl. Jofra had two overs and Sandy (Sandeep Sharma) too and then I had to bring Sushant (Mishra). So it was so much of a decision which I wanted to make. Whatever I was thinking, it was going. The way they have shown character was unbelievable,” added Jaiswal.
Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi added 75 runs for the opening wicket in 6.2 overs. With Sooryavanshi playing a 38-ball knock of 93 runs followed by Dhruv Jurel’s knock of 53 runs off 38 balls, it meant that the Royals’ won the match with five balls to spare.
