IPL returns to action with Punjab edging Rajasthan
It was the first completed match since the resumption of the T20 tournament which had been paused because of an India-Pakistan conflict.
Saturday's scheduled return ended in a washout with the game between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Kolkata Knight Riders abandoned without a ball being bowled.
The weather was more clement in Jaipur as Punjab posted 219-5 when they elected to bat first in high-scoring match.
Left-handed Nehal Wadhera top-scored with 70 off 37 balls before Shashank Singh made the team finish strong with his unbeaten 59.
Omarzai boosted the total with his unbeaten nine-ball 21 before he returned with two key wickets to restrict Rajasthan to 209-7.
Punjab are second in the 10-team table topped by Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Both teams are on 17 points in 12 matches.
Impact substitute Harpreet Brar stood out with figures of 3-22 with his left-arm spin and South African left-arm quick Marco Jansen took two wickets in the final over when Rajasthan needed 22 for a win.
Explosive opening knocks by Yashasvi Jaiswal and 14-year-old Suryavanshi Vaibhav Suryavanshi went in vain after the two left-handers fired Rajasthan to 89-1 in the first six overs.
Jaiswal hit a 25-ball 50 and Suryavanshi made 40 off 15 balls.
Suryavanshi, who hit an IPL century in 35 balls last month to shatter records, hammered the opposition bowlers for four fours and four sixes.
Punjab introduced spin in the fifth over and Brar dismissed both openers in quick succession, Suryavanshi chipping a leading edge to mid-off and Jaiswal, just after he had passed 50, failing to clear Mitch Owen at long-off.
The chase took another hit when skipper Sanju Samson fell for 20 off pace bowler Omarzai, who later removed the dangerous Shimron Hetmyer for 11.
Dhruv Jurel made a valiant 53 off 31 deliveries but fell to Jansen in the final over as he failed to meet the increasing asking rate.
Earlier Punjab's top three fell cheaply as Australian batsman Owen's IPL debut ended with a two-ball duck and Punjab slumped to 34-3.
The mercury in the afternoon soared above 42 degrees Celsius (107.6 degrees Fahrenheit) when Wadhera steadied the innings and hit back with his attacking play as he put on 67 with skipper Shreyas Iyer, who made 30.
Iyer fell but Wadhera kept up the charge with Shashank, who hit five fours and three sixes in his 30-ball knock.
Wadhera departed in the 16th over but Shashank and Omarzai added 60 off 24 balls.
Since the pause in the IPL, the tournament has been rescheduled with the final now set to take place on June 3.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
3 hours ago
- France 24
Son hails sacked Postecoglou as 'a Spurs legend'
Postecoglou guided Tottenham to a 1-0 victory over Manchester United in the Europa League final last month to clinch the club's first European prize in 41 years and secure a place in next season's Champions League. But the 59-year-old Australian paid the price for Tottenham's worst domestic season since they were relegated from the top flight in 1976-77. Tottenham lost 22 of their 38 Premier League games to finish 17th in the table, above only relegated trio Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton. Son, though, in an effusive tribute on Instagram said Postecoglou had transformed the club. "Gaffer. You've changed the trajectory of this club," wrote Son. "You believed in yourself, and us, since day one and never wavered for a second. Even when others did. "You knew what we were capable of all along. You did it your way. And your way brought this club the best night it's had in decades. We will have those memories for life." Son, who has seen five managers sacked in the past six years by chairman Daniel Levy, said he had formed a close relationship with Postecoglou during his two year tenure. "You trusted me with the captaincy," said the 32-year-old Korean star. "One of the highest honours of my career. It's been an incredible privilege to learn from your leadership up close. "I am a better player and a better person because of you. "Ange Postecoglou, you are a Tottenham Hotspur legend forever. Thank you, mate." Tottenham were ravaged by injuries and in the latter stages of the campaign Postecoglou focused on keeping his key players fit and fresh for the Europa League. The gamble paid off but even securing Tottenham's first trophy since the 2008 League Cup was not enough to save the former Celtic handler. Brentford boss Thomas Frank, Fulham manager Marco Silva, Crystal Palace's FA Cup winning handler Oliver Glasner and Bournemouth's Andoni Iraola are reportedly the leading candidates to replace Postecoglou.
France 24
9 hours ago
- France 24
Australian media blast Spurs' sacking of Postecoglou as 'big mistake'
The Australian, one of the nation's most successful managerial exports, steered Spurs to their first European prize in 41 years and secured a place in next season's Champions League. But he also oversaw their worst domestic season since they were relegated from the top flight in 1976-77, which ultimately cost him his job. The Sydney Morning Herald branded chairman Daniel Levy's decision "cold-hearted" and one the club "will almost certainly live to regret, regardless of whether his replacement is a success or not". "There will now always be an unanswerable 'what if' about the possibilities that lay within a third season at Spurs for Postecoglou," it said. "And there appears to be no hope that whoever comes in next will get what he needs to satisfy Levy, who seems to be prioritising higher finishes on the Premier League table than the idea of actually winning things." In a column for The Australian newspaper, former Socceroo and West Ham star Robbie Slater branded Postecoglou's firing "a big mistake". "Levy has left himself in a really, really difficult position now. He's already not liked by the Spurs fans and now he's taking a massive gamble here," he wrote. "Ange had promised 'season three is always better than season two'. Good luck with that Spurs." Former Australia and Celtic boss Postecoglou was the fifth manager sacked by Levy in the past six years. Australian national broadcaster ABC was more measured in its criticism, noting that "in the cold light of day, Postecoglou was always going to be hard pressed to keep his job". But it also questioned why Spurs would get rid of a man who delivered what he said he would -- winning a trophy in his second season in charge. "He has shown himself to be a winner in every league he has had an extended run in, be it Scotland, Australia, Japan and now England," it said. © 2025 AFP
France 24
16 hours ago
- France 24
Bromell scorches 100m as Chebet shines at Rome Diamond League
Bromell, a two-time world outdoor bronze medallist and 2016 world indoor champion, dominated the field, with compatriot Fred Kerley coming in fifth in 10.06sec. Cameroon's Emmanuel Eseme (9.99) and Kenya's Ferdinand Omanyala (10.01) rounded out the podium in the blue riband event. Kenya's Beatrice Chebet, who won Olympic golds in the 5,000 and 10,000m in Paris last year, posted the second fastest time of all time in the women's 5,000m, clocking 14:03.69 after a stunning solo breakaway at the Stadio Olimpico. It was just three seconds off Gudaf Tsegay's world record set in Eugene in 2023, the Ethiopian finishing third in the Italian capital as the field struggled with Chebet's kick four laps out from the finish. "I was planning to run 14:15, but I felt like my body was moving and I decided to go," said Chebet. "So I see that my body is in a good shape and I am capable of of the world record. So now I am going home and will prepare for it. Everything is possible. If I get someone who will push me up to 3000, it is possible." Another Olympic champion, Quincy Hall of the USA, held his nerve to claim victory in the men's 400m in 44.22sec, winning in a photo finish from fast-finishing South African Zakithi Nene. There was a first Diamond League win since 2022 for Sandi Morris in the women's pole vault, the American clearing 4.80m for the victory. "Today is monumental for me on a personal level," said Morris, a three-time world silver medallist. "I have been fighting with problems with my shoulder so I have to keep the volume of jumps lower. I really wanted to keep jumping but I also listen to my goals." There was, however, no glory for Gianmarco Tamberi in the men's high jump in front of his adoring fans. The joint 2020 Olympic gold medallist, also the current European and world champion, bombed out at a lowly 2.16m in a competition won by South Korea's Sanghyeok Woo, with a best of 2.32m.
