IPL 2018: RR v DD: Jaydev Unadkat dismissing Rishabh Pant is SK Turning Point of the match

After the Rajasthan Royals put themselves in a good position at 153-5 in 17.5 overs in the first innings, courtesy valuable knocks from Ajinkya Rahane, Sanju Samson, and Jos Buttler, rain started pouring down heavily at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Wednesday (April 11). For a long time, it looked like they and their opponents, the Delhi Daredevils, will have to settle for one point each on the day.

However, the match resumed around the stroke of midnight, with only six overs for the DD innings. Gautam Gambhir and Co. had to chase a target of 71 in 6 overs. It was a hefty task for the visitors, but the wet conditions of the outfield made the chase more interesting to look forward to.

DD started off in a horrendous manner, with Colin Munro following the footsteps of his RR counterpart, D'Arcy Short, to get run-out right at the beginning of the innings. However, Rishabh Pant, who was opening on the day, started to plummet the ball from the very first delivery he faced.

The left-hander has been in indifferent form for the past few weeks but was proving to be very effective in the chase. His presence in the middle became even more significant after a scrappy-looking Glen Maxwell was dismissed in the 4th over of the innings.

Jaydev Unadkat, the second costliest buy of the auction this summer, then came in to bowl the fifth over. He was taken apart in the first four deliveries that he bowled, where he leaked ten runs to the duo of Pant and Chris Morris, who was playing against his former franchise. However, the fortunes of the bowler, as well as the hosts, changed on the last delivery of his spell. The seamer rolled his fingers over the ball to dish out a full delivery to the batsman, who tried to hoik it over the square, only to find K Gowtham in the deep after a mistimed hit.

It was a crucial juncture of the game and it swung the momentum in favour of the hosts. DD then needed 25 runs off 7 deliveries and with Pant and Morris at the crease, it did not look like an impossible feat for the visitors. However, Unadkat finally lived up to the hefty price tag and brought his team home with a vital wicket in the context of the game.

Ultimately, the Royals won by ten runs to become the first side to clinch victory after batting first in the eleventh edition of the Indian Premier League, albeit with a little assistance from the DLS method.