Rajasthan Royals, in their second match of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) against Kolkata Knight Riders in Guwahati on Wednesday, found themselves on the back foot after posting a modest total of just 151/9 in 20 overs after being asked to bat. For RR’s top-order batters, it was a tale of woe as they collapsed under the relentless pressure of KKR’s explosive spin bowling attack.
From the outset, their batting struggled against a deceptive bowling led by KKR spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Moeen Ali, who both claimed two wickets each. With players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson and Nitish Rana unable to get going, RR found themselves under pressure. Meanwhile, making good use of the slowness of the pitch, KKR bowlers made it difficult for Rajasthan batters to find any rhythm. Dhruv Jurel was the top-scorer for RR, providing late firepower with his 33 off 28. Other valuable contributions for men in pink came from Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag, scoring 29 and 25 respectively.
For KKR, Harshit Rana and Vaibhav Arora also took two wicket each. While, Spencer Johnson, who was a bit expensive, leaking 42 runs from four overs, took one wicket.