Rajasthan Royals’ Chase Stumbles Again: ‘Lightning Strikes Thrice’
RR’s Winless Streak Continues
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The Rajasthan Royals are having a tough time in the IPL this year, and their latest loss to the Royal Challengers Bangalore is raising eyebrows. It’s the third time in a row that RR has been in a great position to win a match, only to completely collapse in the final overs.
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Former cricketers Simon Katich and Pommie Mbangwa were stunned by RR’s performance. Katich, commentating on the match, said they were “butchering the chase” when their last recognized batsman, Shubham Dubey, was dismissed on the first ball of the 20th over. RR needed just 17 runs to win at that point.
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‘Lightning Strikes Thrice’
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Mbangwa, also in the commentary box, pointed out that this wasn’t a one-time thing. He said, ‘Lightning strikes thrice. They were on their way to victory but somehow ended up losing. They can only explain it to themselves. They couldn’t exorcise the ghosts of the last two games.'”
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This loss means that RR is now out of the running for a playoff spot. They’ve lost seven out of their nine matches so far.
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Hazlewood’s Dominance
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RCB bowler, Hazlewood, played a key role in RR’s downfall. With RR needing 18 runs off 12 balls, he took two wickets in two balls, while only giving up one run. This brilliant spell stopped RR’s momentum, leaving them stranded at 194 for nine.
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A Bright Start Goes to Waste
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Despite Hazlewood’s heroics, RR had started their chase strongly. Yashasvi Jaiswal blazed his way to 49 runs off just 19 balls, and 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi impressed with two sixes in his brief 16-run knock.
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But unfortunately for RR, they couldn’t maintain that momentum, falling victim to another last-over collapse.
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