IPL 2023: Play of the day from PBKS vs RR clash

The 66th match of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 featured a clash between the Shikhar Dhawan-led Punjab Kings and the inaugural champions Rajasthan Royals at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala on Friday, May 19.

Coming in to bat first after losing the toss, Punjab Kings looked to get off to a good start as Prabhsimran Singh and skipper Shikhar Dhawan opened the innings. However, they were met by Trent Boult in the very first over of the match, and as has been the case throughout the season, Boult struck early.

It was on the second ball of the first over when Boult executed the play of the day. The ace New Zealand pacer bowled a full-length inswinger to Prabhsimran Singh, and as the Indian batter played the ball straight, Boult leapt in his followthrough to catch the ball after a brilliant dive.

Rajasthan Royals look to make their way into the playoffs

The chances for Rajasthan Royals to make their way into the knockout stages of the IPL 2023 look quite bleak. The Sanju Samson-led side find themselves in sixth place in the IPL points table with 12 points in 13 games, and following back-to-back losses against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore, the team’s quest to make it to the playoffs seems to be even more challenging.

With six wins and seven losses so far, even if Rajasthan go on to win their clash against Punjab Kings, they would end up with 14 points to their name in the standings, which still may not prove to be enough for them to qualify. 

Both Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore currently occupy fourth and fifth place in the standings, respectively, with 14 points each. For Rajasthan to qualify, they would have to defeat Punjab with a considerable margin, and both Bangalore and Mumbai would have to lose their final group stage matches against Gujarat Titans and Sunrisers Hyderabad, respectively.