MUMBAI, India, CMC – Shimron Hetmyer emerged from a slow start to lash a pulsating half-century as Rajasthan Royals defeated Jason Holder’s Lucknow Super Giants by three runs to climb to the top of the Indian Premier League standings.
Finding the going difficult after arriving at the crease at 64 for three in the 10th over, the left-hander struck an unbeaten 59 off 36 deliveries as Royals rallied to 165 for six off their 20 overs at the Wankhede Stadium.
Hetmyer, dropped on 14 in the 14th over, scraped just 21 runs from his first 25 deliveries before exploding to plunder 38 runs from his last 11 balls, overall striking one four and half-dozen sixes.
Fast bowling all-rounder Holder finished with two for 50, his last two overs travelling for 34 runs as Hetmyer launched his onslaught.
In reply, South African opener Quinton de Kock top-scored with a slow 39 from 32 balls and Australian Marcus Stoinis struck a 17-ball unbeaten 38 but Super Giants struggled to recover from 14 for three in the fourth over and failed to adequately compensate at the back end.
Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal picked up four for 41 to clinch Man-of-the-Match honours but it was New Zealand left-arm seamer Trent Boult (2-30) who shook the innings with two wickets in the first over of the run chase.
Devdutt Padikkal’s run-a-ball 29 formed the foundation of the 42-run opening stand with Englishman Jos Buttler (13) before four wickets tumbled for 25 runs in the space of 29 balls, to leave Royals tottering on 67 for four in the 10th over.
Hetmyer’s arrival proved the turning point, the West Indies batting star inspiring a 68-run, fifth wicket stand with Ravi Ashwin (28), as Royals gathered 73 runs from the last five overs.
Hetmyer was particularly severe on his former Test captain Holder, hoisting him for two sixes in the 18th over which went for 18 runs.
The second of two sixes in the next over from Avesh Khan signalled Hetmyer’s 14th T20 half-century off 33 deliveries.
Boult then shocked Super Giants with two wickets in the opening over and Holder’s demise, tugging pacer Prasidh Krishna to mid on for eight, meant the innings was in tatters.
De Kock and Deepak Hooda (25) put on 38 for the fourth wicket before Stoinis belted a couple of fours and four sixes in a 36-run, unbroken ninth wicket stand with Avesh Khan (7 not out), but the 15 required from the final over proved out of reach.
At the nearby Brabourne Stadium, Rovman Powell failed again with eight but still got the better of West Indies teammates Andre Russell and Sunil Narine as his Delhi Capitals trounced Kolkata Knight Riders by 44 runs. Capitals racked up 215 for five off their 20 overs after being sent in with openers David Warner (61) and Prithvi Shaw (51) scoring half-centuries in a 93-run stand, as off-spinner Narine picked up two for 21 in a miserly four-over spell.
In reply, captain Shreyas Iyer made 54 from 33 deliveries while Nitish Rana got 30 and Russell, an uncharacteristically slow 24 from 21 balls, as KKR struggled to accelerate and lost their last five wickets for 34 runs off the last 28 balls.
