RR vs PBKS Live Score, IPL 2023: Sam Curran bowls a fabulous final over as Punjab seal a narrow 5-run win

RR vs PBKS Live Score, IPL 2023, Match 8 Updates: Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson departed and left the home side in a slump while chasing 198. Arshdeep Singh and Nathan Ellis picked two wickets to build the pressure around the hosts. Follow Rajasthan Royals vs Punjab Kings Live Score in IPL 2023 at Sportskeeda.

That's it from our end for today. Do join us tomorrow for KKR vs RCB match no.9 at the Eden Gardens. Till then take care and stay crazy for the game.

Royals lost three wickets in the powerplay even though Sanju Samson and Jos Buttler played some terrific shots to meet the required rate. Punjab Kings spinners came into the act and didn't allow Royals to hit enough boundaries. Nathan Ellis ran through Royals' middle order to finish his spell at 4 for 30.

Shimron Hetmyer and Royals' impact player Dhruv Jurel fired some spectacular hits in the stands to keep the game alive. But a clever Sam Curran pulled things back for Punjab and was successful in defending 16 runs in the final over as Punjab won by five runs.

Punjab Kings won by 5 runs.

Nathan Ellis (POTM): It's one of those days. There are other guys who deserve the awards but stoked to win this one. For me, it's ball by ball. Each ball is a moment. It's more about a ball at a time. T20 cricket has gotten to a point where every ball, every moment counts. When I was bowling in the back-end, I was focusing on getting the ball dry and for me to get my execution right. I was trying to calculate the best ball for me to bowl. For me, it was the cross seam ball and it worked out for me tonight.

Shikhar Dhawan: Yes absolutely there were some nervous moments. I was keeping my calm and focusing on the best we could do at the moment. There was a lot of dew. I was happy with the score I put up. They bowled very good yorkers and I was very happy we got 180-something. (Best moment in the game) My switch-hits (laughs). We scoring 197 and the bowlers coming in. There were some moments where the game was going out of our hands but the bowlers brought it back. It was a team effort. These two matches, we have gotten a great start. Prabh is playing great and I'm doing my best to increase my strike rate. We have a deep batting line-up and we can keep scoring. The other team has come to play so you need to respect them. They will definitely bowl some good overs too.

Sam Curran: It was a really good track to ba ton, especially in the powerplay. They had a really good powerplay, and that gave them momentum. It is a high-scoring venue here but we did reasonably well to pull them back. (Ashwin opening) Jos was having a stitch on his finger. We knew they had a left-arm spinner and a leg-spinner in the middle, so we wanted a left-hander in the middle order instead of Padikkal opening. (Jurel) He's been with us in the last two seasons. Lots of work has gone behind him. These guys put in lots of work, 5-6 weeks of camp, coming over to the academy and practicing for thousands of balls. (Venue) Was expecting dew to come in the second half but it was there throughout. Normally, we should have high scoring games here and we'll be prepared for the same.

Sanju Samson: It was a really good track to ba ton, especially in the powerplay. They had a really good powerplay, and that gave them momentum. It is a high-scoring venue here but we did reasonably well to pull them back. (Ashwin opening) Jos was having a stitch on his finger. We knew they had a left-arm spinner and a leg-spinner in the middle, so we wanted a left-hander in the middle order instead of Padikkal opening. (Jurel) He's been with us in the last two seasons. Lots of work has gone behind him. These guys put in lots of work, 5-6 weeks of camp, coming over to the academy and practicing for thousands of balls. (Venue) Was expecting dew to come in the second half but it was there throughout. Normally, we should have high scoring games here and we'll be prepared for the same.

Sam Curran does it for Punjab

12 runs needed from last three balls. Curran bowled it full and wide to Jurel as the young batter could manage a single via leg-bye. He keeps it full against Jason Holder, who went for a loft sans power and found a single near lomg-off. Jurel smashed Curran for a boundary to finish the game as Rajasthan fell five runs short of 197.

RR 192/7 (20 overs) Shimron Hetmyer 36; Nathan Ellis 4/30

Sam Curran conceded just four runs from first three balls. Shimron Hetmyer wanted the second run but Jurel sent him back. Curran was quick to run him out at the non-striker's end.

Dhruv Jurel pulls down the run rate for RR

0, wd, 4, 6, 4, 1, 2. That's how Arshdeep conceded in the penultimate over. The final ball was dropped by Nathan Ellis as Shimron Hetmyer will stay to face the last over. 16 runs needed off six balls.

Dhruv Jurel lends support to Hetmyer

A four and a six on the first three balls off Arshdeep Singh and the pressure shifts back to the Punjab Kings bowlers.

SIX!!! A high full toss from Sam Curran and Hetmyer dispatched it over fine leg boundary for a six. A decision reviewed for no-ball but it was called as a legal delivery by the third umpire. A boundary followed on the next ball. Another short length from Curran and Hetmyer cashed in for a six, clearing just the deep mid-wicket by inches. 19 runs from the over.

RR 164/6 (18 overs)

Hetmyer strikes big

SIX!!! Maybe it's late from Shimron Hetmyer but will boost some confidence from here. Dhruv Jorel joined his batting partner as the UP keeper hoicked it behind square leg for another six.

RR 145/6 (17 overs)

Ellis bowls out Devdutt Padikkal

Wicket!!! A mind boggling performance from the Australian. A crossed seam bowled to Padikkal and the southpaw missed while attempting to hoick it. As a result, the stumps were rattled. Ellis has his fourth with one more over to go.

Devdutt Padikkal 21 (26 balls; 1 four) b Nathan Ellis

Ellis picks his third

Wicket!!! Nathan Ellis gets the wicket of Riyan Parag. The local boy wanted to play a big innings after smashing a six and a four. He smashed miles up in the aor but couldn't get the distance as Shahrukh Khan caught safely at long-off. Parag's cameo ends and leaves Royals into tatters.

Riyan Parag 20 (12 balls; 1 four and 1 six) c Shahrukh Khan b Nathan Ellis

RR 124/6 (15 overs)

Eliis send RR skipper back to dressing room

Wicket!!! The dot ball pressure worked in Punjab's favour. Ellis bowled three dot balls against Devdutt Padikkal and Samson. To up the scoring rate, Samson went after the big shot and found the long-off fielder. Ellis picked his second wicket.

Sanju Samson 42 (25 balls) c (sub) Matt Short b Nathan Ellis

Runs have dried up for Rajasthan

Sikandar Raza and Rahul Chahar have bowled with disciplined lengths and ensured Royals didn't score just one boundary after the powerplay until 10 overs. A big task on the shoulders of Sanju Samson and Devdutt Padikkal to push the scoreboard from here on.

RR 89/3 (10 overs)

Samson hits Rahul Chahar for a boundary

FOUR!!! A deft late cut was enough from Sanju Samson to beat the fielder at point and the ball raced to the fence for four runs. Rahul Chahar kept it flatter and received the treatment.

RR 70/3 (8 overs)

Nathan Ellis gets rid of dangerous Jos Buttler

Wicket!!! A full delivery pitching on the middle stump managed to find the inside edge of Buttler before it skewed onto his foot and ballooned up directly to Nathan Ellis. The bowler returned a smart catch and got a crucial wicket for Punjab.

Jos Buttler 19 (11 balls; 1 four and 1 six) c&b Nathan Ellis

Samson, Buttler on power mode

SIX!!! Sanju Samson and Jos Buttler pummelled Arshdeep Singh for a six each in the same over, where Ashwin was dismissed.

Samson smashed two boundaries against left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar.

RR 48/2 (5 overs)

Royals gamble fail as Ashwin goes for 0

Wicket!!! Arshdeep Singh has taken his second wicket. The move to promote Ashwin in the opening slot didn't paid well. Ashwin departed without troubling the scoreboard.

Ravichandran Ashwin 0 (4 balls) c Shikhar Dhawan b Arshdeep Singh

Jaiswal departs for 11

Wicket!!! A boundary on the first ball from Jaiswal was followed by back-to-back wide deliveries by Arshdeep. The left-handed batter went for the upper cut but holed it out to short extra cover as Arshdeep pulled his length back.

Yashasvi Jaiswal 11 (8 balls; 1 six and 1 four) c (sub) Matthew Short b Arshdeep Singh

Jaiswal bangs on with a six

SIX!!! Jaiswal hits a crackling shot, a pull, as the ball goes into the crowd. That was the only big shot that came from Jaiswal's bat.

RR 7/0 (1 over)

Punjab Kings found a tremendous start in the powerplay with youngster Prabhsimran Singh taking on the charge against the experienced campaigners like Boult and Ashwin. Prabhsimran departed om 60 while playing the big shots. Dhawan, who looked silent when Prabhsimran was attacking, soon upped the ante.

The PBKS skipper spoiled the bowling figures of Yuzvendra Chahal (1/50 from 4 overs). However, Chahal was the second most expensive bowler in the innings with KM Asif conceding 54 runs in four overs.

Dhawan remained unbeaten on 86, smashing nine fours and three sixes. Jason Hodler's tight bowling in death ensured Punjab didn't cross 200. A big responsibility for the Royals top-order ahead.

PBKS finish 197/4

Just seven runs conceded in the final over from Jason Holder along with the wickets of Shahrukh Khan to keep Punjab below par 200.

Shahrukh Khan 11 (10 balls; 1 four) c Jos Buttler b Jason Holder

PBKS 197/4 (20 overs) Shikhar Dhawan 86*; Jason Holder 2/29

An expensive over from KM Asif

Dhawan carted a six and a four in an over where Asif conceded a wide and a no-ball. Finished the over with a dot ball. 16 runs from the penultimate over.

PBKS 190/3 (19 overs)

What a class from Dhawan

SIX!!! Dhawan moved a bit across the stump and brought the reverse-sweep against a Jason Holder fullish delivery. Goes for the distance for a six.

PBKS 174/3 (18 overs)

Ashwin cleans up Sikandar Raza

Wicket!!! It was a bit strange to bowl Ashwin in the death overs after Punjab are batting close to 10 runs per over. But the decision didn't looked bad after the off-spinner bowled Raza on the first ball of the 17th over with a carrom ball.

Sikandar Raza 1 (2 balls) b Ravichandran Ashwin

Chahal picks first wicket on a tough day

Wicket!!! Yuzvendra Chahal managed to pick his first wicket in the name of Jitesh Sharma. Although Shikhar Dhawan has hit him for enough runs to spoil his bowlinh figures.

Jitesh got lured with the full toss and attempts a big hit only for the long-off fielder to pouch it.

Jitesh Sharma 27 (16 balls; two fours and one six) c Riyan Parag b Yuzvendra Chahal

Fifty for Shikhar Dhawn

FOUR!!! Dhawan has been very smart enough to negate the spin threat by his Indian teammate Yuzvendra Chahal. Hoicked for a boundary past mid-wicket to complete 48th fifty in the IPL.

PBKS 140/1 (14 overs)

Jitesh Sharma comfortably takes on Yuzvendra Chahal

FOUR!!! The PBKS wicketkeeper-batter smashed successive fours against Chahal. First one was attributed to immense timing past the covers and then cleared the extra cover for the second four. Shikhar Dhawan shimmied down to clear the long-on boundary for a six on the final ball. 18 runs from the over.

PBKS 113/1 (12 overs)

Bhanuka Rajapaksa retired hurt

Ravichandran Ashwin bowled a tossed up delivery against Shikhar Dhawan and the southpaw attempted to hit it straight down the track.

However, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, who was present at the non-striker's end, was struck by Dhawan's blow.

Rajapaksa was attended by the physio as he got hit on his forearm and started walking back to the dugout.

Bhanuka Rajapaksa 1 (1 ball) retired hurt

Holder puts curtains on Prabhsimran's free-flowing batting

Wicket!!! A brilliant catch by Jos Buttler and that's the end of Prabhsimran Singh's stay at the crease. A miscued shot from the batter against a back of a length delivery, Buttler ran very far from long-off to take a diving catch.

Prabhsimran Singh 60 (34 balls; seven boundaries and three sixes) c Jos Buttler b Jason Holder

Prabhsimran unperturbed by Boult's movement

SIX!!! A straight hit down the pitch and Boult isn't spared from the hammering. Absolutely bonkers this is. Prabhsimran can only convert this into a big one to hog the limelight from here on.

PBKS 86/0 (9 overs)

Fifty for Prabhsimran Singh

Prabhsimran took a couple of runs on the very second ball of Yuzvendra Chahal's introduction to the attack. That's the maiden fifty for the 22-year-old and brought it up in 28 balls.

PBKS 77/0 (8 overs)

Ashwin signs Dhawan to stay in crease

Well just before launching the fourth ball of the seventh over, Ravichandran Ashwin halted his run-up as Shikhar Dhawan was ahead of the crease. An unsaid warning by the off-spinner to his Indian teammate.

PBKS 68/0 (7 overs)

PBKS end powerplay with 63 runs

A decent over from Jason Holder to hold grip on the flow of runs. Just seven runs from that and a dropped catch of Prabhsimran by Devdutt Padikkal on the final ball of the over.

PBKS 63/0 (6 overs)

RR introduce spin in 5th over

FOUR!!! A change of bowling from Rajasthan Royals but that doesn't matter for Prabhsimran Singh. Hits back-to-back boundaries against Ravichandran Ashwin.

PBKS 56/0 (5 overs)

Prabhsimran continues attack from other end

FOUR!!! The Punjab youngster is a serious talent to watch this season. Two boundaries in the first three deliveries was followed by a massive six over mid wicket. Prabhsimran ended the over with yet another boundary past the covers. 19 runs coming in the fourth over.

PBKS 45/0 (4 overs)

Dhawan opens the bat against Boult

FOUR!!! Dhawan hits Trent Boult for a couple of boundaries. Two singles in the last two balls and that's a good over for Punjab.

PBKS 26/0 (3 overs)

A maximum for Prabhsimran

SIX!!! A well judged foot moment from Prabhsimran as he goes near the off stump to unleash a flick off KM Asif's length ball. First six of the RR vs PBKS match.

PBKS 16/0 (2 overs)

First boundary for Punjab

FOUR!!! Prabhsimran Singh looks well against Trent Boult. The young batter went across the line and brought his front foot up and swatted above the extra cover for four runs. Boult bowled three consecutive dot balls to finish the over.

PBKS 7/0 (1 over)

RR ace speedster speaks ahead of the game

Trent Boult: Tremendous start. It's a group that is familiar with each other. Yeah, I suppose we just continued the form from last year. We appreciate a new year, obviously, a new venue and the guys are just excited about coming out and delivering the same here tonight. (Any changes in the team) Yeah, there's a couple of new personalities and faces. The messages and the consistency around the changing room is the same, and that is going out and backing each other the same, back your game and back each other as a team. We're just trying to play our best cricket. We appreciate this is a long tournament, but it's obviously nice to get a win first of all and hopefully, get another performance tonight. (Always taking a wicket in the first over) You probably jinxed me for tonight but yeah, I think I'm pretty clear with the gameplan I'm trying to bring in and that's my role in the side, to pitch the ball up and get early wickets. So, some days it does come of. It's a new venue, never been here before. Looking forward to that challenge.

PBKS wicketkeeper speaks ahead of the game

Jitesh Sharma: There are more responsibilities. I used to bat at 6 for my state because the role there demanded me to be a finisher. Now, we have Sam Curran and Raza bhai coming in, I've got a promotion. I've got to play a more sensible role with an opportunity to play a long inning for the side. We've spoken about situations, my role will change depending on the game situation. Like in the last game, I had to pick up from where Bhanuka Rajapaksa left off and make sure I carry that momentum. I think I did that, so that even the other batters got some time in the middle. Because of those quickfire 20-25 runs, everyone got 4 more balls to take their time. (Pitch) It's my first time here. I saw the India vs South Africa game here, so this should be a high-scoring game too. Guwathi should enjoy it the post.