IPL 2018, RR vs KXIP: 5 talking points

Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab locked horns for the second time in three days as the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur played host to what was a must-win match for the Royals. Much to the delight of the home crowd, Ajinkya Rahane's side prevailed in the contest to keep alive their slim chances of qualifying for the playoff phase of the competition.

Jos Buttler was the go-to man for Royals yet again as he scored his third consecutive half-century to help his side score 158 off their 20 overs. In reply, Kings XI Punjab was jolted by three early blows and never really recovered as they ended up 15 runs short despite KL Rahul batting all the way through to remain unbeaten on 95.

Here are the 5 major talking points from today's contest.

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#5 KL Rahul fights a lone battle

KL Rahul has been the standout batsman for Kings XI Punjab in IPL 2018 alongside his opening partner Chris Gayle as his position at the top of the run-scorer chart for the ongoing season proves.

The 26-year-old has impressed everyone with his aggressive batting and consistency and nearly did a repeat of his match-winning performance against Rajasthan Royals on Sunday when he had led from start to finish with an unbeaten knock of 84 that helped his side chase down 153.

The key to that victory was the unbeaten 68-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Marcus Stoinis and yet again, Kings XI's hopes of an unlikely victory rested on the duo but the result this time out was not the hosts would have hoped for.

KL Rahul remained unbeaten on 95 off 70 balls but found no support whatsoever from the other end that was very much needed.

#4 Ish Sodhi shows his class

Sodhi bowled as many as 12 dot balls in his four-over spell conceding just 14 runs

New Zealand's Ish Sodhi was the No 1 ranked bowler in T20Is at the time of the IPL 2018 player auctions in Bengaluru but surprisingly went unsold despite having a low base price of Rs 50 lakh.

He did make his way into the Rajasthan Royals squad as a replacement player for injured Afghanistan bowler Zahir Khan but despite his side's struggles on the field, the 25-year-old has found chances hard to come by as he played only the one game against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the end of April before being picked for today's match.

Sodhi took the chance with both hands and showed that the Royals team management might have missed a trick by not picking him earlier.

He made the most of a helpful pitch as he mixed it up with his variations and proved extremely difficult to get away even for an in-form KL Rahul. He bowled 11 dot balls in his four-over spell, conceding just 14 runs as well as picking up the wicket of Akshdeep Nath.

#3 Early strikes jolt KXIP's run-chase

Gowtham got rid of Chris Gayle and Ravichandran Ashwin early on to put Kings XI Punjab under pressure

Kings XI's success on the batting front has largely been down to their openers and it was not surprising to see the hosts continue with their successful gameplan as they set out to chase down 159 against the Royals tonight.

KL Rahul was the match-winner for Kings XI as they chased down a similar target against the same opposition just a couple of days earlier but this time around, Ravichandran Ashwin's side found the going tough as they lost three wickets early on with just 19 runs on the board.

Chris Gayle was the first to go with Royals executing a well-planned move to perfection. Krishnappa Gowtham fired in a ball down the leg side to have the big-hitting West Indian out stumped as he raced down the wicket while the Kings XI skipper's decision to promote himself as a pinch-hitter failed spectacularly as he was out bowled for a golden duck.

Despite the loss of wickets, Karun Nair was intent on stepping out of the crease and paid the price for his over-confidence as he fell to Jofra Archer to leave the hosts reeling at 19/3.

KL Rahul was still out in the middle but it was just the kind of start Kings XI fans would have been dreading in a run-chase.

#2 Royals lose their way in the death overs

Andrew Tye continued his impressive bowling in the death overs and picked up 4 wickets

Jos Buttler gave Rajasthan Royals an excellent start in the powerplay overs and carried forward the good work by building up a solid partnership along with Sanju Samson for the third wicket.

While the latter started out slowly, he got into his groove with a boundary and six off a Ravichandran Ashwin but just when the Royals' fans would have hoped him to carry on and stepped up the run-rate, he fell off the very next over, which came after the strategic timeout.

That brought the 53-run stand for the third wicket to an end and with it a shift in momentum as Royals struggled to get the big shots that would have edged them closer to the 170-180 run mark.

Buttler departed soon after and Ben Stokes disappointing IPL campaign continued as he struggled to get the big shots in and ultimately Royals ended up well short of the target they would have had in mind after their explosive start to the innings.

#1 Jos Buttler makes it three half-centuries in a row

Buttler continued his fine run of form and top-scored for Royals with 82

Jos Buttler has been the standout batsman for Rajasthan Royals in what has been an abysmal IPL 2018 campaign and how the team management would be ruing themselves for not taking a call to open the innings with the England international earlier in the season.

He has been a revelation at the top of the order for Ajinkya Rahane's side and strode to his third consecutive half-century with his knock of 82 against Kings XI Punjab today.

He started off briskly, making good use of the fielding restrictions to power his side to 63 of the powerplay overs. He stayed true to his game even in the middle overs, forging a useful 53-run partnership for the third wicket with Sanju Samson.

Buttler looked well set for a century but ultimately sacrificed his wicket for the side as he was out stumped off Mujeeb ur Rahman as he danced down the wicket looking for the big shots towards the end.

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