The 52nd match of the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League is currently underway at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, where the inaugural champions Rajasthan Royals are battling against the Punjab Kings. PBKS won the toss and decided to bat first. RR made one change to their playing XI. They left Karun Nair out of the team and picked Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Punjab Kings remained unchanged, and the decision to stick with Jonny Bairstow even though he struggled for runs paid off because the England opener scored a half-century for PBKS against RR. He provided a good start to the team and held one end before Yuzvendra Chahal trapped him in front of his stumps.
Liam Livingstone and Jitesh Sharma finished off the innings in style as the Punjab Kings set a 190-run target for the Rajasthan Royals. Speaking with the host broadcasters after the first innings, Bairstow said:
“Obviously come off a couple of low scores but that happens in T20 cricket. Back at the top and I was pleased with how I played. (On the pitch) It’s okay. I don’t think it’s necessarily the best wicket you’ll see at the Wankhede but at the same time we have to bowl well and protect that short side.”
RR got off to a good start as well, thanks to an attacking knock from their England wicket-keeper batter Jos Buttler. The right-handed batter mercilessly destroyed Kagiso Rabada as he scored a brisk 30 before losing his wicket to the South African speedster.
Yashasvi Jaiswal made sure that he grabbed the opportunity he got with both hands and scored 68 runs off 41 deliveries. He whacked nine fours and two sixes in his knock, placing RR in a comfortable position.
Twitterati lauded Yashasvi Jaiswal for his fantastic half-century upon return to the Rajasthan Royals playing XI
Here’s how fans on Twitter reacted to Jaiswal’s 68-run knock:
Jaiswal what a player! Well-paced innings, it's surprising that RR dropped him after the first two matches of the tournament #ipl2022
— ABD is Alien (@eable_g) May 7, 2022
Wonderfully Played Yashasvi Jaiswal Welcome Back To #IPL2022 #PBKS #RRvsPBKS
— Dr Khushboo 🇮🇳 (@khushbookadri) May 7, 2022
Fifty by Yashasvi Jaiswal, what a return for him. A fifty in 33 balls, he's played really well today.
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) May 7, 2022
What a Knock from Yashasvi Jaiswal. He scored Brilliant 68 runs from 41 balls including 9 Fours and 2 Sixes against Punjab Kings. Brilliant Innings. pic.twitter.com/8u47KhWt7R
— CricketMAN2 (@ImTanujSingh) May 7, 2022
Yashasvi Jaiswal with a 33-ball 5⃣0⃣ in his comeback match.
— Sportstar (@sportstarweb) May 7, 2022
Rajasthan Royals 113/2 in 12 overs. #IPL2022 | #rrvspbks | https://t.co/QMpDmdiOcT pic.twitter.com/feQcDvSaHe
Wow Yashasvi Jaiswal, what a knock.
— R A T N I S H (@LoyalSachinFan) May 7, 2022
So happy to see Yashasvi Jaiswal getting runs..a genuinely hardworking and talented cricketer…👏👏👏#rrvspbks #CricketTwitter
— parthiv patel (@parthiv9) May 7, 2022
On his return into the XI, Yashasvi Jaiswal has a FIFTY 👏
— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) May 7, 2022
32 balls | 5 fours | 2 sixes
He's keeping #RR on track .. https://t.co/i0FWATrRod #IPL2022 #PBKSvRR pic.twitter.com/7CJ3fLcv3E
Yashasvi jaiswal appreciation tweet 👏👏
— Jatin dhiman 🇮🇳 (@Jatindh74505944) May 7, 2022
Yashasvi Jaiswal well played in today's match #rrvspbks #TATAIPL pic.twitter.com/Ajg6kJOUp2
— Ashutosh Srivastava (@kingashu1008) May 7, 2022
💥🏏 MAKING A STATEMENT! Yashasvi Jaiswal has played an outstanding knock in his comeback innings to register his first fifty of #IPL2022 .
— The Bharat Army (@thebharatarmy) May 7, 2022
📸 IPL • #YashasviJaiswal #PBKSvRR #RRvPBKS #IPL #IPL2022 #TATAIPL #BharatArmy pic.twitter.com/4HCelXvEr1
