A brilliant 84*(45) knock by Riyan Parag propelled Rajasthan Royals to their consecutive victory as they narrowly defeated Delhi Capitals by 12 runs in Match 9 of TATA IPL 2024 held at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.

Parag played a crucial role in the hosts’ comeback after being 36/3 and managed to achieve a strong total of 185/5, showcasing his impressive skills with a score of 84* off just 45 deliveries.

RR’s key players, Nandre Burger (2/29) and Yuzvendra Chahal (2/19), played a crucial role in the team’s success by leading the charge in the Powerplay and middle overs. Avesh Khan also delivered a fantastic performance in the final over, defending 17 runs and securing a remarkable victory for RR.

In pursuit of a target of 186, Delhi Capitals made a quick beginning, but faced the loss of Mitchell Marsh and Ricky Bhui during the Powerplay. The partnership of Warner and Marsh yielded 30 runs in 3.1 overs for the first wicket. However, the Impact Player Nandre Burger dismissed Marsh (23 off 12) with an excellent delivery and then followed it up by getting Ricky Bhui out with a fiery bouncer just two balls later.

Warner responded with a counter-attack, striking three sixes and a four in the following two overs to bring DC’s score to 59/2 by the conclusion of the Powerplay.

In the 9th over, RR had an opportunity to get rid of the threatening Warner after he got into a confusion with Rishabh Pant. However, R Ashwin, the bowler, was unable to catch the throw as Warner struggled to return to the non-striker’s end, having been sent back by Pant. Despite their combination of caution and aggression, Warner and Pant managed to score 67 runs off 45 balls. But their partnership was eventually broken when Sandeep Sharma made a fantastic catch at short third man, off Avesh Khan’s delivery in the 12th over, dismissing Warner (49 off 34).

In the 14th over, Yuzvendra Chahal caught Pant behind, resulting in DC losing two quick wickets. In an attempt to turn things around, DC substituted in Abishek Porel as the Impact Player, but unfortunately, he was unable to make a significant impact and was caught out by Chahal in the 16th over at long off.

The home team gained dominance in the middle of the game thanks to the exceptional bowling performances of Sandeep and Chahal.

As the match reached a crucial point with 60 runs required off 24 balls, Stubbs decided to increase the pace by hitting two sixes off Ashwin in the 17th over, reducing the target to 41 runs off 18 balls. Avesh delivered a satisfactory 18th over, conceding only 9 runs.

Stubbs hit a six and a four in the first two deliveries of the penultimate over, reducing the required runs to 32 from 12. However, Sandeep quickly recovered and only gave away five runs in the remaining four balls.

When there were 17 runs required in the last over, Avesh Khan delivered an exceptional performance, staying composed and hitting accurate yorkers. He only allowed four singles, securing a 12-run victory for RR.

Tristan Stubbs’ score of 44 runs from 23 balls remained unbeaten, while Axar Patel ended the match with 15 runs from 13 balls without losing a wicket.

In the beginning, the Delhi Capitals’ skipper, Rishabh Pant, emerged victorious in the coin toss and chose to bowl first. This was a significant event for the DC captain as it marked his 100th IPL game. To commemorate the milestone, he was gifted a customized jersey before the match commenced.

The beginning of Delhi Capitals’ match against Rajasthan Royals was a strong one, as they were able to limit their opponents to a score of 31/2 during the Powerplay. The pacers, consisting of Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, and Anrich Nortje, had a solid start and maintained a disciplined bowling performance, not giving away many runs. Rajasthan Royals struggled to gain momentum, only scoring 12/1 in the first three overs. In the second over, Mukesh Kumar made a crucial breakthrough by taking out Yashasvi Jaiswal with a well-executed delivery.

In the fourth over, Captain Sanju Samson showed his skills with three well-executed fours off Mukesh Kumar. Despite this, Nortje managed to limit RR’s scoring with a tight over of only three runs. This also led to a wicket for Khaleel, as he dismissed the in-form Sanju Samson with a catch behind the wicket, bringing RR’s score to 31/2 in the first six overs. During the Powerplay, RR only managed to hit four fours.

RR faced difficulties in gaining momentum during the match. Their situation worsened when Kuldeep successfully appealed for LBW against Jos Buttler after a thorough review. In an attempt to increase the scoring rate, RR sent R Ashwin up the batting order, who managed to hit three impressive sixes.

In the 14th over, the RR team’s all-rounder partnered with Riyan Parag for the fourth wicket, contributing 54 runs in 37 balls to help stabilize the team. Despite his efforts, he was unable to score a significant amount as he was caught out by Axar Patel at deep mid-wicket, scoring only 29 runs.

In the 15th over, Parag took on the responsibility and shifted his approach, hitting a six and two fours off Khaleel. He then continued his aggression in the following over against Mukesh, scoring another four and six to reach his half-century in just 34 deliveries.

During the match, DC made a substitution in the 16th over by bringing in Abishek Porel as their Impact Player instead of Khaleel Ahmed, who had already completed a successful spell of 4-0-24-1.

Parag’s performance continued to improve as he delivered some impressive shots, scoring 58 runs off his last 19 balls. He teamed up with Jurel (20 runs off 12 balls) and Shimron Hetmyer (14 runs off 7 balls) to add the much-needed final boost, allowing RR to reach a total of 185/5. Parag went on a rampage in the last over, hitting 4, 4, 6, 4, 6 off Nortje and scoring 25 runs in the over. In the last six overs, the home team scored 92 runs while Parag remained undefeated with a score of 84 off 45 balls.

The team RR announced that Nandre Burger will be taking over Shimron Hetmyer’s role as the Impact Player at the beginning of the second half of the game.

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