Quantcast

Archer stars in final-over thriller

Big Bash star Jofra Archer dominates on IPL debut to help Rajasthan to nail-biting victory

The Result: Rajasthan Royals 7-168 (Samson 52, Archer 3-22) beat Mumbai Indians 7-167 (Yadav 72, Pandya 2-25) by 3 wickets.

The match in a tweet: Archer returns with a bang help Rajasthan extend Mumbai's close-game hoodoo with a thrilling win in Jaipur #RRvMUM

 

 

 

 

The Finish: The game was evenly poised with just six balls remaining and 10 runs left to chase, Mumbai fans praying for a change in fortune after having already been on the wrong end of two nailbiters so far this season. The over started promisingly enough after Hardik Pandya banged one in short and found the top edge of Jofra Archer's bat for a simple caught and bowled, only for the momentum to shift the very next delivery as Krishnappa Gowtham guided a wide delivery over the gully region for four. A dot followed as the off-spinning allrounder elected to keep the strike, before calmly smashing the fourth delivery over cow corner for six to guide the Royals home with two balls to spare.

The Debut: After overcoming a side strain that ruled him out of Rajasthan's first four matches, Jofra Archer certainly lived up to the hype (and his hefty price tag) in his IPL debut. After conceding just 17 runs from his first three overs, the West Indian-born paceman proved his worth with three crucial wickets at the death that prevented any chance of a late Mumbai charge. A good change of pace that drew a false shot from Krunal Pandya saw him become the Hobart Hurricane star's first IPL wicket, before two searing yorkers removed Hardik Pandya and Mitchell McClenaghan in consecutive deliveries to restrict the visitors' total to a manageable 167, and claim man-of-the-match honours in the process.

Image Id: 42102A6769564926A996B66B36E20C07 Image Caption: Krishnappa Gowtham celebrates the winning runs in Jaipur // BCCI

 

The Match-Winning Cameo: It was only fitting Gowtham hit the winning runs after the allrounder smashed 33 off just 11 deliveries in the final three overs to lift Rajasthan to an improbable come-from-behind win. Coming in to bat in the eighteenth over after the Royals lost three wickets in the space of five deliveries, the 29-year-old smashed a six and a four off his third and fourth ball to swing the momentum back in the home side's favour, before finding the rope four more times in the final two overs to extend Mumbai's miserable record in close games this season to 0-3.

The Next Stop: A quick turnaround for Mumbai as they head back home to take on the 3-2 Sunrisers Hyderabad, while Rajasthan enjoy a hefty six-day break for Rajasthan before they too prepare to take on Kane Williamson's men in Jaipur on Sunday.

Australian viewers can watch the 2018 season of the IPL exclusively on Fox Sports