Punjab Kings snatched defeat from the jaws of the victory as they went down by a narrow two runs to Rajasthan Royals in the second phase of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Dubai International Stadium on Tuesday.

Batting first Rajasthan posted 185 in their 20 overs and in response Punjab almost chased down the target as they finished on 183 for four to lose by two runs.

Earlier after electing to field, Punjab managed to bowl out Rajasthan for 185 in their allotted 20 overs. Rajasthan started confidently with their openers Evin Lewis clubbing 21 balls off 36 balls with seven boundaries and a six, while Yashasvi Jaiswal (49: 36b, 6x4, 2x6) also batted confidently. Rajasthan openers posted 54 for the first wicket.
Jaiswal shared a crucial 48 run third wicket stand with Liam Livingstone. Then Mahipal Lomror took charge as he smacked 43 off just 17 balls with two boundaries and four sixes. Towards the end Rajasthan suffered a collapse as they went from 166 for four to 185 all out in their 20 overs.

For Punjab the best bowlers were Arshdeep Singh (5-32) and Mohammed Shami (3-21).

In their response, Punjab's openers captain Lokesh Rahul (49) and Mayank Agarwal (67: 43b, 7x4, 2x6) shared a brilliant 120 run opening stand. After the openers fell, it was down to Aiden Markram and Nicholas Pooran (32) to apply finishing touches to the chase as they shared a 57-run third wicket stand.

But then young paceman Kartik Tyagi (2-29) had other ideas as he successfully defended four runs in the final over. Punjab lost two wickets in the final over as they snatched defeat.

Match Summary

WHAT. A. WIN! ?? ??

Simply stunning how @rajasthanroyals have pulled off a two-run victory from the jaws of defeat. ?? ??

Scorecard ?? https://t.co/odSnFtwBAF #VIVOIPL #PBKSvRR pic.twitter.com/16m71yzAOW

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) September 21, 2021

Rajasthan Royals: 185 (20)
Fall of wickets: 1-54 (Evin Lewis-5.3 ov), 2-68 (Sanju Samson-7.1 ov), 3-116 (Liam Livingstone-11.5 ov), 4-136 (Yashasvi Jaiswal-14.2 ov), 5-166 (Riyan Parag-16.3 ov), 6-169 (Mahipal Lomror-17.1 ov), 7-175 (Rahul Tewatia-18.1 ov), 8-178 (Chris Morris-18.5 ov), 9-185 (Chetan Sakariya-19.5 ov), 10-185 (Kartik Tyagi-19.6 ov)

Punjab Kings: 183-4 (20)
Fall of wickets: 1-120 (KL Rahul-11.5 ov), 2-126 (Mayank Agarwal-12.6 ov), 3-183 (Nicholas Pooran-19.3 ov), 4-183 (Deepak Hooda-19.5 ov)

Scorecard

Playing XI
Punjab Kings: KL Rahul (captain & wicket-keeper), Mayank Agarwal, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Fabian Allen, Adil Rashid, Ishan Porel, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami

Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Evin Lewis, Sanju Samson (captain & wicket-keeper), Liam Livingstone, Mahipal Lomror, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Chris Morris, Mustafizur Rahman, Chetan Sakariya, Kartik Tyagi

Match details
Toss: Punjab Kings, elected to bat
Start time: 1800 hrs UAE time
Match officials: Anil Chaudhary, Michael Gough (On-field umpires); KN Ananthapadmanabhan (TV Umpire); Yeshwant Barde (Reserve Umpire); Prakash Bhatt (Match-referee)