KXIP vs RR: Jofra Archer dismissed Chris Gayle on 99 but later tipped his hat to the big Jamaican.© BCCI/IPL
Chris Gayle proved once again that age is just a number and why he goes by the name of ‘Universe Boss’ as he bashed Rajasthan Royals bowlers all over Abu Dhabi on Friday. Though, his innings went in vain as Rajasthan Royals secured a seven-wicket win over Kings XI Punjab, the big-hitting Jamaican won many plaudits for his whirlwind knock, including from the man who dismissed him on 99. Gayle needed just a single to score his seventh IPL hundred but was cleaned up by RR pacer Jofra Archer in the final over. The England fast bowler, however, took to Twitter after the match and admitted that Chris Gayle was “still the boss”, a thought many bowlers around the world would agree with.
Still the boss @henrygayle pic.twitter.com/bV1y3Azijp
— Jofra Archer (@JofraArcher) October 30, 2020
In the larger scheme of things, the win was crucial for Rajasthan Royals’ bid to reach the playoffs. A loss would have ended their hopes of getting into the top four.
The victory in Abu Dhabi helped RR climb to fifth in the table, level on points with fourth-placed Kings XI Punjab, who have a better run-rate than RR. However, both teams will drop a place if SunRisers Hyderabad beat Royal Challengers Bangalore in Sharjah later today.
For Rajasthan, apart from Archer starring with the ball again, Ben Stokes was the hero with the bat. The England all-rounder smashed 50 off just 26 balls to get RR off to a flyer. Sanju Samson too was brilliant, scoring 48 off 25 balls, unfortunately run out just when he was looking to explode.
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Steve Smith (31 not out) and Jos Buttler (22) added the finishing touches to RR’s impressive chase.
Rajasthan take on Kolkata Knight Riders in their final leage match while KXIP face an already-eliminated Chennai Super Kings in their last league game.