Dhawan, Prabhsimran and Ellis star for Punjab

Punjab Kings won their second successive game in the Indian Premier League as they beat Rajasthan Royals by a mere five runs at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Wednesday.

Asked to bat, Punjab finished on 197 for four in their 20 overs and in their response Rajasthan made 192 for seven in their 20 overs.

Earlier, Punjab started off well as their openers captain Shikhar Dhawan and Prabhsimran Singh added 90 runs for the opening wicket. Prabhsimran was the first to fall for a brisk 60 off 34 balls with seven boundaries and three sixes. Dhawan then teamed up with Jitesh Sharma, after Bhanuka Rajapaksa had to retire hurt. Together Sharma and Dhawan added 66 runs for the second wicket. Dhawan finished unbeaten in the end on 86 off 56 balls with nine boundaries and three sixes. Punjab finished on 197 for four in their 20 overs. For Rajasthan the best bowler was Jason Holder (2-29).

In their response Rajasthan lost their top-order cheaply. Ravichandran Ashwin was promoted to open the batting. But it did not work out, Rajasthan was on 57 for three. Skipper Sanju Samson top-scored with 42 off 25 balls. He tried to hold the chase together. There were few useful cameos by Riyan Parag and Devdutt Padikkal. Shimron Hetmyer and Dhruv Jurel (coming in as an impact player) added 62 runs in just 26 balls for the seventh wicket. But that was not enough as Rajasthan held their nerves. Rajasthan finished on 192 for seven in their 20 overs. For Punjab the best bowlers were Nathan Ellis (4-30) and Arshdeep Singh (2-47). 

Match Summary
Punjab Kings: 197-4 (20)
Fall of wickets: 1-90 (Prabhsimran Singh-9.4 ov), 1-92* (Bhanuka Rajapaksa-retired hurt), 2-158 (Jitesh Sharma-15.4 ov), 3-159 (Sikandar Raza-16.1 ov), 4-196 (M Shahrukh Khan-19.4 ov)

Rajasthan Royals: 192-7 (20)
Fall of wickets: 1-13 (Yashasvi Jaiswal-1.3 ov), 2-26 (Ravichandran Ashwin-3.2 ov), 3-57 (Jos Buttler-5.4 ov), 4-91 (Sanju Samson-10.6 ov), 5-121 (Riyan Parag-14.1 ov), 6-124 (Devdutt Padikkal-14.6 ov), 7-186 (Shimron Hetmyer-19.3 ov)

Playing XI
Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan (captain), Prabhsimran Singh (wicket-keeper), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Sikandar Raza, Jitesh Sharma, Shahrukh Khan, Sam Curran, Harpreet Brar, Nathan Ellis, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh; Subs: Atharva Taide, Harpreet Bhatia, Matthew Short, Mohit Rathee, Rishi Dhawan

Impact player: Rishi Dhawan for Prabhsimran Singh (2nd innings, 14.6 ov)

Rajasthan Royals: Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson (captain & wicket-keeper), Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Jason Holder, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, KM Asif, Trent Boult; Subs: Dhruv Jurel, Akash Vashisht, Murugan Ashwin, Kuldip Yadav, Donovan Ferreira

Impact player: Dhruv Jurel for Yuzvendra Chahal (1st innings, 15.7 ov)

Match Details
Toss: Rajasthan Royals, elected to field
Venue: Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati
Start time: 1400 hrs GMT
Match officials: KN Ananthapadmanabhan, Saidharshan Kumar (On-field Umpires); Rohan Pandit (TV Umpire); Abhijit Bhattacharya (Reserve Umpire); Narayanan Kutty (Match-referee)