What was deemed to be one of the drabbest contests of the season turned into a humdinger as Rajasthan, led by Rahul Tewatia's late blitz chased down 224 to win the game against Punjab. The game threw up several posers for T20 cricket and the Indian T20 League season in general. Here we discuss some of them.

The floating pinch-hitter

Rahul Tewatia was brought in at no.4 to counter the two Punjab leg-spinners, Ravi Bishnoi and Murugan Ashwin. While he didn't quite take them on, he did manage to line up some of the pace bowlers to showcase the hitting prowess he was displaying in the nets.

Sam Curran was used in a similar role by Chennai. It raises questions about the role of bringing players up the order to counter match-ups. While it is a good tactic for a short format like this, it is probably used very less by teams who prefer going the conservative way. 

Tewatia morphed into MSD

�?Sam Billings (@sambillings) September 27, 2020

Kolkata opening with Sunil Narine is no longer in the pinch hitter category with him opening every match. It is about time that the teams deploy batsmen according to their potential against bowling types and match situations rather than going the conventional way. Tewatia's innings certainly points in that direction.

Jofra Archer can hit a long way

He can hit the head, the base of the stumps and the ball out of the park. In his two batting stints in Indian T20 League 2020, Archer has 27 in 8 balls and 13 in 3 balls. The England pacer is a terrific striker of the cricket ball and is excellent in taking on seam bowlers as he showed against Lungi Ngidi and Mohammed Shami.

Well this aged well http://t.co/EURMFteRk3

�?Jofra Archer (@JofraArcher) September 27, 2020

Archer has been deployed in the pinch-hitter role previously and could be in line to take it up more often given the way he is lining up pacers right now. The flexibility guys like Rahul Tewatia and Jofra Archer bring to the table make Rajasthan a threat despite the very lop-sided squad they seemed to have assembled before the season.

The fringe Indian players are so good

If it was Shubman Gill yesterday, it was Mayank Agarwal and Sanju Samson in full bloom on Sunday. While Mayank is in the Test team, Sanju Samson has been in and out without getting consistent game time. Both hit the straps early in the season with terrific batting performances and carried that forward here, with Samson finishing on 85 off 42 balls with seven sixes. Mayank's 106, his first century in the Indian T20 League, came off just 50 balls and also had seven sixes.

Sanju Samson doesn’t need to be next anyone. He will be ‘the�?Sanju Samson of Indian Cricket. http://t.co/xUBmQILBXv

�?Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) September 27, 2020

Both are top-order batsmen and they give India multiple options in the limited-overs side and could be in the setup sooner rather than later if they carry on the way they have been batting this Indian T20 League season so far. While India's mainstream side is excellent too, the likes of Mayank and Samson make their bench strength the best in the world.

Feature image courtesy: Twitter / Indian T20 League

Rajasthan and Punjab will look to make it two wins in two matches this Indian T20 League season when the teams meet on Sunday at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Dubai.

Rajasthan beat Chennai by 16 runs in their previous encounter while Punjab are coming off of a 49-run thrashing of Kolkata. Both teams are coming into this contest with big wins and will be aiming to keep the momentum going. Here’s everything you need to know about the match:

Samson at No. 3 is meant to be

Make no mistake, Sanju Samson is a colossal talent and has shown glimpses of it over the years for RAJ. However, consistency has been a huge concern for the talented batsman but a deeper dive into his career suggests a pattern that paints a clear picture of what his best role in the batting line-up is. Here are his batting numbers by position:

Position	Innings	50s	100s	High score	Runs	Average	S/R
Opening	24	3	0	74	559	23.29	135.02
No. 3	35	8	2	102*	1218	39.29	136.39
No. 4	21	0	0	47*	372	19.58	120
No. 5	2	0	0	15	28	14	133.33
No. 6	6	0	0	27*	80	20	102.56
No. 7	1	0	0	21	21	21	210
No. 8	1	0	0	5*	5	-	250

While he’s batted at seemingly every number, his stats at the #3 position are clearly much better than in any other positions in the line-up. He played at #3 against CHE and delivered a match-winning performance for his team. As long as he continues to bat in that position, it is safe to say Samson will deliver.

KL Rahul, the most prolific batsman in the Indian T20 League

Since joining PJB in 2018, KL Rahul has simply been the best batsman in the Indian T20 League. With 1405 runs in his last 30 outings with the bat, Rahul has scored more runs than any other batsman in the Indian T20 League over the past two campaigns, over 150 runs clear than next best Rishabh Pant. Here are the top runscorers in Indian T20 League since 2018:

Rank	Player	Mat	Inn	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	SR	100	50
1	Lokesh Rahul	30	30	6	1405	132*	58.54	149.15	2	12
2	Rishabh Pant	32	32	5	1240	128*	45.93	165.78	1	8
3	Shikhar Dhawan	34	34	4	1053	97*	35.1	135.7	0	9
4	Virat Kohli	30	30	3	1009	100	37.37	138.79	1	6
5	Shane Watson	35	35	1	1004	117*	29.53	140.81	2	5

He is already the fastest Indian to reach the 2000-run mark in the Indian T20 League and has displayed no weakness whatsoever against spin or pace, striking at over 145 against both. He next faces Rajasthan, against whom he’s averaging 117.5 since 2018. Expect another big performance from the PJB skipper. 

Players to watch out for

Rajasthan �?Jofra Archer

Englishman Jofra Archer was terrific for RAJ in their opening fixture with the ball as well as the bat. In the first innings, Archer took Lungi Ngidi to the cleaners in the first innings, smashing four sixes in the final over to take RAJ past 200 on the scoreboard. With the ball, the 25-year-old finished with figures of 1-26 in his quota of four. A stellar all-round performance that he would be aiming to emulate against PJB.

Punjab �?Mohammad Shami

By far the best bowler this season, pacer Mohammad Shami has had a renaissance as a T20 bowler since the start of last season and he’s carried that form into this campaign. So far in two matches, Shami has bowled seven overs and given away just 29 runs and picked up four wickets. A stellar output from an outstanding pacer who has formed an incredible tandem with West Indies' Sheldon Cottrell. 

Stats to watch out for

2: Glenn Maxwell is just two wickets away from completing 100 scalps in T20s. 

4.14: PJB speedster Mohammad Shami has been in terrific form and is currently bowling at a scarcely believable economy rate of 4.14.

20: Karun Nair is just 20 runs away from completing 1500 runs in the Indian T20 League.

29: Rajasthan skipper Steve Smith averages just 29 against PJB, the lowest he’s managed against any team.

55: KL Rahul has been terrific against Rajasthan in the Indian T20 League, averaging 55 against them. The opener is averaging 153 this season.

Writer’s pick

Both teams dismantled their opponents in their previous outing and are coming into this contest with a lot of confidence. While both teams' batsmen are in stellar touch, the Punjab bowling unit is a tad bit better and has been in incredible form so far. Hence, we would go with Punjab in this contest.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Sajjad Hussain

Rajasthan scripted a historic run chase of 223 and beat Punjab by four wickets in Match 9 of the 2020 Indian T20 League season.

Here are the key talking points from the contest:

Sharjah is simply too much fun

The iconic venue has played host to two matches and so far, they have been two of best of the 2020 season.

Small boundaries and a flat surface have meant that Sharjah is averaging 216 runs per innings so far this season, by far the highest among all the venues. With Kolkata and Bangalore scheduled to play next at the venue on October 3^rd, expect another high-scoring thriller given the firepower on both sides.

Mayank Agarwal's masterclass

Mayank Agarwal is one of India's finest batsmen in red-ball cricket and has always been known for his prowess in that format but this season, he’s a man on a mission.

Mayank Agarwal hit 10 fours and seven sixes during his 50-ball 106 in the #IPL2020

The India Test opener also staged a massive 183-run stand with KL Rahul pic.twitter.com/ghh7J686JV

�?ICC (@ICC) September 27, 2020

After a sensational knock of 89 off 60 balls in PJB's gut-wrenching loss against the DEL in their season opener, the 29-year-old proved his innings was no fluke with his maiden Indian T20 League century against RAJ. Agarwal smashed 106 off 50 balls to help PJB post a massive total of 223 on the board. The Karnataka native is proving he’s a quality batsman regardless of the format.

Tewatia goes from terrible to terrific

Needing 123 runs in 11 overs, RAJ made a rather bizarre decision of promoting all-rounder Rahul Tewatia to No. 4, ahead of Robin Uthappa, Tom Curran, Riyan Parag and Jofra Archer. For a healthy duration, the decision continued to look baffling as he scored just 17 runs off 23 balls, which saw the required run-rate climb to 17.

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It rained sixes at Sharjah as Rahul Tewatia and Jofra Archer pulled off an unbelievable heist in the #IPL2020

Prior to that onslaught, Rajasthan Royals required 51 off 18 deliveries �?they've won with three balls to spare pic.twitter.com/nglADX3PJn

�?ICC (@ICC) September 27, 2020

But in the 18^th over, Tewatia absolved himself and the team's think-tank by smashing five sixes against Sheldon Cottrell before whacking Shami for another to complete his half-century and get the equation down to two off seven balls. Tewatia's six sixes in eight balls turned the game on its head and helped RR chase down a record total.

Samson proves No. 3 is his best spot

It’s hard to believe, given his immense talent, but this was the first instance in Sanju Samson's career where the young batsman has scored half-centuries in back-to-back matches.

With Tewatia struggling to get going after Smith's dismissal, Samson carried his team till his exit, finishing with 85 off 42 balls, keeping RR in the hunt before Tewatia and Archer finished the job off. As we stated in our preview for the contest, Samson's meant to bat at No. 3 and play with the license to go after the bowling attack rather than anchoring the innings like he has been asked to do in the past. Hopefully, 2020 is the year that Samson finally comes good.

Feature image courtesy: Twitter.com / Indian T20 League

KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal, two of Punjab's most bankable batsmen in Indian T20 League 2020, put together an incredible 183-run stand and enabled Punjab to post an intimidating 223/2 score for Rajasthan to chase in the ninth match of the 2020 Indian T20 League season. It looked like a tall order, to say the least, requiring a record-breaking effort from RAJto pull off a win.

That is just what they did, however, as Steve Smith, Sanju Samson and Rahul Tewatia went to work and made the target a realistic possibility before Jofra Archer and Tom Curran applied the finishing touches to what became the highest successful chase in Indian T20 Leaguehistory.

Here, we look at some of the key stats from the contest:

Rajasthan pull off highest successful run chase in Indian T20 League

Perhaps fittingly, RAJ broke their own record set during their title-winning season in 2008, when they chased down a target of 215 set by the now-defunct Deccan at the opponents' home venue of Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium to boot.

Highest successful run-chase in IPL
Target	Match	Venue	Date
224	Rajasthan v Punjab	Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium, Sharjah	27-Sep-20
215	Rajasthan v Deccan	Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad	24-Apr-08
209	Delhi v Gujarat	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi	04-May-17
206	Chennai v Bangalore	MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai	12-Apr-12
206	Punjab v Chennai	Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi	18-Apr-14
206	Punjab v Hyderabad	Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad	14-May-14
206	Chennai v Bangalore	M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore	25-Apr-18
206	Kolkata v Bangalore	M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore	05-Apr-19

A Powerplay to be proud of

RAJ wasted no time in hunting down PJB and their Powerplay score of 69/1 backs that up. Not only was it the highest Powerplay score of Indian T20 League 2020 but it was also their second-highest Powerplay score against PJB.

Powerplay score (IPL 2020)	Match
69/1	RAJ vs PJB
60/0	PJB vs RAJ
59/1	MUM vs KOL
54/1	RAJ vs CHE
53/0	BAN vs HYD
53/0	CHE vs RAJ

 

Most runs in Powerplay by RAJ against PJB in IPL
Matches	Runs	Wicket
Match 38, Rajasthan vs. Punjab, 07 Apr 2010	70	0
Match 9, Rajasthan vs. Punjab,27  Sep 2020	69	1
Match 4, Rajasthan vs. Punjab, 25 Mar 2019	64	0
Match 48, Punjab vs. Rajasthan , 05 May 2012	64	1
Match 40, Rajasthan vs. Punjab, 08 May 2018	63	1

Mayank Agarwal's speedy century

Mayank Agarwal's century on the night (100 off 45) was the second-fastest by balls faced by an Indian after Yusuf Pathan, who had done it in 37 balls.

Feature image courtesy: Twitter.com / Indian T20 League

While Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul starred for Punjab with a magnificent 183-run partnership in their fixture against Rajasthan on Sunday, September 27, it was an unbelievable bit of fielding by Nicholas Pooran that drove the astounded audience bonkers.

After Sanju Samson, during another of his heady knocks this season, pulled a half-tracker that was set to hit the empty seats, Pooran, fielding at deep midwicket, leapt to action with a gravity-defying lunge over the boundary rope, caught the ball and then had the presence of mind to realise he was over the rope and tossed it back to Glenn Maxwell before touching the ground.

This impromptu display of acrobatics prompted everyone from cricketers to actors to express their astonishment on Twitter, and we rounded up some of the best reactions:

This is the best save I have seen in my life. Simply incredible!! #IPL2020 #RRvKXIP pic.twitter.com/2r7cNZmUaw

�?Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) September 27, 2020

 

Gravity naamak cheez hi bhula di. Aisa kaise.
Defied Gravity, Pooran. What a save. pic.twitter.com/1HReADpmVh

�?Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) September 27, 2020

Just witnessed the greatest piece of fielding in cricketing history.. Pooran you beauty !!! Take a Bow!!! @nicholas_47 pic.twitter.com/Vg28HN2xU1

�?Riteish Deshmukh (@Riteishd) September 27, 2020

Pooran doing a Jonty Ropes! #WhistlePodu #RRvKXIP@JontyRhodes8 @nicholas_47

�?Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) September 27, 2020

Pooran - what an incredible save that!

�?zainab abbas (@ZAbbasOfficial) September 27, 2020

CC: @JontyRhodes8 - sir please explain this

What a save, Nicholas Pooran! #Dream11IPL | #RRvKXIP | Star Sports Network & Disney+Hotstar VIP http://t.co/yRBKgYcgE6

�?Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) September 27, 2020

the best save I ‘ve ever seen in my life ,,, #pooran brilliant buddy #IPL #RRvKXIP

�?Kabir Duhan Singh (@Kabirduhansingh) September 27, 2020

Nicholas Pooran.. one of the best moments of fielding ever? Certainly the most athletic!! #pooran will go viral!

�?Mark Nicholas (@mcjnicholas) September 27, 2020

Best piece of fielding I have EVER seen in my life...and I'd like to think I've watched A LOT of #Cricket!

Thank was UNREAL from #NicPooran!#Pooran #KXIP #KXIPvsRR #IPL2020

�?Suhail Chandhok (@suhailchandhok) September 27, 2020

1 year of Pooran Poli free for him. The most amazing piece of fielding ever ! Take a bow #Nicholaspooran #IPLinUAE

�?Vikram Sathaye (@vikramsathaye) September 27, 2020

On that acrobatic save from Pooran:

"That's the best I have seen in a T20 game!" - @KP24

We couldn't agree more. RT if you think the same #SaddaPunjab #IPL2020 #RRvKXIP #KXIP

�?Kings XI Punjab (@lionsdenkxip) September 27, 2020

Pooran has just produced one of the greatest fielding saves I have ever seen. That was almost two yards over the rope and to pull it back....Wow! Where is this standard of fielding going to take us next....

�?Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) September 27, 2020

That save from Pooran was unreal!

Just goes on to show the high standards this format has reached.
Brilliant!#RRvKXIP pic.twitter.com/aOKEkPcT8T

�?VINOD KAMBLI (@vinodkambli349) September 27, 2020

That is just an insaaaaaaaane effort from Pooran. It defied gravity and any concept of core stability you may have #KXIPvsRR

�?Gaurav Kapur (@gauravkapur) September 27, 2020

WOAH!

That Pooran effort deserved to save a six! #RRvKXIP | #HallaBol | #RoyalsFamily

�?Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) September 27, 2020

How did you do that, Pooran??? Are you wearing a cape under your #KXIP t-shirt?? Haven’t seen anything like this ever. #RRvKXIP

�?Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) September 27, 2020

Feature image courtesy: Twitter.com / @sachin_rt