IPL 2024: Riyan Parag’s best score lifts Rajasthan Royals above Delhi Capitals

New Delhi: Rajasthan Royals held their nerves to control Delhi Capitals and win by 12 runs, to notch up their second successive victory in IPL 2024 on Thursday.

At their home in Jaipur, Rajasthan overcame a poor start through Riyan Parag’s best IPL score (84) to post a respectable 185/5 and then kept Delhi pegged back at 173/5.

It was the Rishabh Pant-led Delhi’s second successive defeat in the tournament as David Warner’s 49 and Tristan Stubbs’ 44 were not enough to take them over the line.

They lost regular wickets and all their batters including Pant (28) couldn’t convert their starts as RR bowlers were disciplined enough to control Delhi’s big hitting towards the end.

Parag power

Earlier, Riyan Parag’s highest IPL score took Rajasthan to a fighting 185 for 5 after Delhi won the toss and decided to bowl.

Batting at the No.4 spot, Parag struck a superb 84 not out off 45 balls to single-handedly lift Rajasthan to a fighting total.

The 22-year-old from Assam has revelled higher up the order, making 43 in Royals’ 20-run win over Lucknow Super Giants.

He was even better on Thursday, carting South African pacer Anrich Nortje for 25 runs (4, 4, 6, 4, 6, 1) in the final over to hit third fifty in IPL.

Parag, who has been playing in the IPL from 2019, blasted seven fours and six sixes in his entertaining knock.

He held the home side’s innings together initially, sharing 54 and 52 runs with Ravichandran Ashwin (29) and Dhruv Jurel (20) respectively.

Rajasthan slumped to 36/3 in 7.2 overs, Parag began then rebuilding process with Ashwin and then with Jurel.

SKipper Sanju Samson began in ominous fashion, striking three consecutive boundaries in the fourth over off pacer Mukesh Kumar.

But Samson edged a Khaleel Ahmed to Rishabh Pant’s gloves on 15 and Yashasvi Jaiswal (5) followed suit shortly, wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav then successfully reviewed to dismiss England batter Jos Buttler (11) LBW.

After a brief period of rebuilding, in which Ashwin was the aggressor, Parag struck two boundaries and a six off Ahmed to take RR past 100 in the 15th over.

In the next over, he brought up his first fifty of IPL 2024 and sent Nortje on a leather hunt at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium.

Brief Scores: Rajasthan Royals: 185 for 5 in 20 overs (Riyan Parag 84 not out; Axar Patel 1/21).

Delhi Capitals: 173 for 5 in 20 overs (David Warner 49; Nandre Burger 2/29, Yuzvendra Chahal 2/19).