PBKS skipper Sam Curran signs off with heroic all-round display against RR

Wednesday’s meeting between Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings at Guwahati’s Barsapara Stadium had little at stake as far as qualification for the Indian Premier League (IPL) playoffs was concerned.

RR had already ensured a top-four finish after Delhi Capitals (DC) defeated Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Tuesday, becoming the second team to do so after Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) . PBKS, meanwhile, had already been eliminated from the playoffs race — the second team after Mumbai Indians (MI) to suffer such a fate — and had pride left to play for in their remaining matches.

What Rajasthan would have hoped to do was try and push for a top-two finish. While Punjab would have hoped to avoid the wooden spoon that they’ve become so familiar with. The latter succeeded in their task by climbing out of the bottom of the table with a comfortable five-wicket victory , with five-time champions MI slipping to the 10th spot in the process.

As for RR, they have managed to stay second with a positive Net Run Rate (NRR) despite suffering four consecutive defeats , though that could change on Thursday should the fourth-placed Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) defeat the eighth-ranked Gujarat Titans (GT) in Hyderabad.

There were plenty of issues in Royals’ performance at their adopted home, the most prominent of which was the manner in which their batting department struggled on a sluggish surface after skipper Sanju Samson opted to bat. Things, however, could have ended very differently for them had it not been for the all-round heroics of one man — Punjab Kings captain Sam Curran.

Curran steals the show with all-round heroics

The English seam-bowling all-rounder made an instant impact while opening the bowling for the Kings. Yashasvi Jaiswal had capitalised on a loose delivery on the first ball, dispatching a wide half-volley for a boundary to open the team’s account in style.

Curran would make amends just three deliveries later by inducing an inside edge onto the stumps after Jaiswal attempted a similar shot, altering his line and getting the ball to jag back in.

He then bowled five dots in his second over in the powerplay, though compatriot Tom Kohler-Cadmore managed to somewhat neutralise the dot-ball pressure by smashing a length ball over cow corner for a maximum.

The left-arm seamer would prise out another wicket after bringing himself back in the 14th over of the Rajasthan innings, at a time when the ‘hosts’ were yet to reach 100 and were under serious pressure in order to push for a score in excess of 160. This time it was wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel perishing for a golden duck after chipping a short-of-length ball to Harpreet Brar at midwicket.

Curran ended up collecting 2/24 from three overs as PBKS restricted RR to a below-par 144/9. He would, however, end up making an even greater impact with the bat later in the evening with a match-winning half-century that pulled his team out of choppy waters.

Trent Boult had removed Prabhsimran Singh (6) in the first over of the chase, while pace colleague Avesh Khan struck twice after being introduced in the fifth over, getting rid of Rilee Rossouw (22) and Shashank Singh (0) in a space of three deliveries. Things went from bad to worse after leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal had Jonny Bairstow caught at deep midwicket with PBKS losing their fourth wicket with less than 50 on the board at the end of the eighth over.

Curran was off to a steady start, dealing primarily in singles at the start of his innings, and was batting on 13 off 14 deliveries as PBKS reached 63/4 at the halfway stage of the chase. Both Curran and Jitesh Sharma were cautious in their approach, rotating the strike through ones and twos while collecting the odd boundary to ensure the asking rate wasn’t climbing out of reach.

The pair had managed to build a steady partnership that had calmed the nerves in the Punjab dugout, though they needed to shift gears sooner rather than later if they were to go past the finish line. That came in the 15th over, in which both Jitesh and Curran collected a six each — the latter dancing down the wicket and stretching his arms to a delivery that had been fired well outside off, lofting it over the wide long off fence.

The maximum brought up PBKS’s hundred, and things were beginning to fall in place for them at this point. Despite Jitesh getting dismissed by Yuzvendra Chahal in the following over, PBKS were firmly in the driver’s seat and could still reach the target comfortably so long as one of the set batters stuck around till the end.

It was his finishing touch on Wednesday that highlighted Curran’s ability as a match-winner and why the Kings had shelled out Rs 18.5 crore — what was a record sum at the time — to acquire the all-rounder in last year’s player auction.

Curran would complete his half-century in the 18th over, reaching the milestone in 38 deliveries, before launching both Sandeep Sharma and Avesh Khan for a maximum to bring the equation down to single digits. The presence of another finisher in Ashutosh Sharma at the other end helped as his unbeaten cameo of 17 off 11 balls ensured the Royals weren’t able to claw their way back into the game with a late twist.

“We bowled really well as a group. Message was that we had a lot of pride to play for. Ellis was absolutely amazing in his first game of the season. Probably should’ve played him earlier.

“When I went in, Jonny said it was quite tough. It was holding a little bit. Didn’t need to take too much risk. Knew on a ground like this, we just needed a couple of sixes,” Curran said during the post-match presentation ceremony after being adjudged the Player of the Match.

Signing off in style

With the 25-year-old set to fly back home along with Jonny Bairstow for England’s upcoming T20I series against Pakistan, Curran managed to sign off from the 17th IPL season with a performance that should make him an automatic pick for the franchise when they sit down and decide on their retentions ahead of the 2025 mega auction.

Additionally, Curran had taken over the reins of the team after Shikhar Dhawan had injured his left shoulder and at a time when the Kings’s fortunes were starting to go downhill after a mixed start. He had been struggling as skipper initially, starting with a hat-trick of defeats, but would inspire a solid comeback later with terrific away wins against KKR and Chennai Super Kings.

“Have thoroughly enjoyed the season, have enjoyed captaining. Atmosphere around the group has been really good. Excited about the World Cup. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. We had so many close games. Feel like the team is close to something. Who knows what the future holds. Loads of positives. The chase in Kolkata. The way Shashank Singh has come into the team is amazing. Ashutosh as well. Harshal and Arshdeep have bowled well,” Curran added after the game.

The manner in which he’s led from the front this season, not letting the burden of captaincy affect his performances with bat and ball, will certainly have the franchise thinking about the future once their campaign comes to an end. Dhawan has been consistent as an opener and had helped PBKS finish sixth in the table and remain in contention for the playoffs till the final week.

However, Dhawan is 38 and doesn’t have too many years left in his playing career. And that’s where Curran provides a solid alternative to the Kings for the road ahead.