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Shimran Hetmeyer, who batted in just 10 balls in the 148 run chase, won the man of the match award. That tells you two things – a) He must have done something outrageous in the chase where the required rate was less than 7.5 runs per over from those 10 balls. b) The Rajasthan Royals batsmen may have got their calculations horribly wrong, requiring a desperate cameo at the backend of the match. Both are correct.
Hetmeyer Blushes saved Rajasthan Royals Punjab Kings pacer Arshdeep Singh clinched a three-wicket win at Mullanpur with a last-ball six. They didn't need a six. Two runs were needed off this many balls but Royals needed a boundary to win. And Hetmeyer delivered.
Hetmeyer came in at No. 6 when the Royals just lost a set batter Ryan Parag 23 for 18. They still needed 35 from 20 balls. Dhruv Jurel was struggling to hit boundaries at the other end. His nightmare ended in the next over with 6 runs off 11 balls. Now Hetmeyer had to do something special.
The left-hander hit a boundary and a six in the same over to bring RR back in the chase. In the next over, Rowman Powell PBKS did his part by hitting back-to-back boundaries from stand-in captain Sam Curran but was trying to hit another in the third over. Curran took another wicket at the end of the over.
RR now needed 10 runs off Arshadeep's last over. The PBKS death over specialist launched two excellent deliveries which resulted in dot balls. The pressure was mounting on Hetmeyer. He wanted a big hit.
Arshdeep misses the yorker by a whisker and Hetmyer catches it. He hit a flat six straight over the bowler's head. A couple of runs came off the next ball. With two runs needed off two balls, Hetmyer received a full toss from Arshdeep and he flicked it over the long leg boundary for his third six to bring a sigh of relief in the RR camp.
He remained unbeaten on 27 off 10 balls.
“It's really a practice, I try my best to bat right in the nets first. Then I come back after everyone else tries and hits sixes,” Hetmeyer said when asked the secret behind his finishing skills.
Over the years, Hetmyer has developed a reputation as a finisher, which West Indies' hard-hitting batter said was both a blessing and a curse.
“It's a blessing and a curse. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't. I can help my team win tonight,” he said. (If thoughts of failure ever come) they creep in, but then, I try to keep it as clear as possible. After the first few deliveries, he (Boult) came to me and calmed me down.
With Trent Boult at the other end, Hetmyer would not have hesitated to take a single off the last ball, which would at least ensure a super over.
“I was taking it (a single in the last over). I spoke to Boulty and even if I didn't get another one, I would try my best to get a single and at least tie it. I was trying. To get a single or a double and then I got a full toss and tried to hit it for a six. He added.
With this win, RR became the first team to enter double figures in the points table in IPL 2024.
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