In their last match in Jaipur, Rajasthan Royals [RR] were asked to bat first, scored around 230, and never looked like they could defend it. On Friday, against Delhi Capitals [DC], their second match in Jaipur this year, RR won the toss, chose to bat first, scored around 230, and never looked like they could defend it. Between these two matches, RR themselves chased down around 230 with ease.

The decision at the toss remains in sharp focus because it took extraordinary hitting for RR to recover from 36 for 2 in five overs when the ball seamed. During the chase, though, the pitch didn’t offer much to RR, who have arguably had the best attacking new-ball bowlers in Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger. The result was DC’s highest sucessful chase without seemingly having to come out of third gear.

Riyan Parag had to endure the early misbehaviour before he could turn his innings around into 90 off 50 balls. Donovan Fereira (47* in 14 balls) drilled out proverbial yorkers for sixes to give RR their second-best finish in the Impact Player era.

However, led by the returning Mitchell Starc’s three-for, the DC bowlers did just enough to let their batters make full use of the improved conditions. Pathum Nissanka started the charge with 52 from 26 deliveries in the powerplay, KL Rahul went at better than two a ball in the middle overs, and Nitish Rana put any possible nerves to rest with his 33 off 17 balls.

The moment Parag won the toss and surprised just about everybody, including his opponents, that shock quickly gave way to anticipation of watching Vaibhav Sooryavanshi go against Starc after his first-ball sixes off Jasprit Bumrah and Pat Cummins, a second-baller off Sunil Narine, and four boundaries in first four balls against Josh Hazlewood.

However, things happened at the wrong ends. Yashasvi Jaiswal hit Starc for a first-ball six, and two balls later, offered a return chance off a high full toss. Sooryavanshi never got to the Starc end as he played on a Kyle Jamieson yorker, which might point to a pre-decided plan.

Parag had the dubious company of Dhruv Jurel, but he kept RR going at a rate that was exciting but did not promise a win. However, outside the three wickets that fell, you hardly see or hear of any IPL coaches asking those in the between to initiate something.

Now RR were happy with a strike rate of little over one as long as Ravindra Jadeja could offer Ferreira shield from Kuldeep Yadav, with the right-hand batter having fallen to the left-arm wristspinner twice in nine balls. Jadeja was strictly a pinch anchor, asked to face Kuldeep out for Ferreira to have the biggest impact.

But what impact did Ferreira have, including hitting three sixes off Kuldeep. The balls he hit were no more than two inches off the mark, if at all. By bending his back knee and staying deep inside the crease, Ferreira took RR to what looked like a competitive score.

For someone introduced into this IPL as a second thought and only for his par-time offspin against SRH, Rana has shown he belongs at this level if not for India. While the two DC openers holed out, they had already done such good work that DC needed just 49 off 28 balls. Tristan Stubbs and Ashutosh Sharma were never going to allow a hiccup.

Brief scores:
Delhi Capitals 226 for 3 (Pathum Nissanka 62, KL Rahul 75,  Nitish Rana 33, Tristan Stubbs 18*, Ashutosh Sharma 25*; Jofra Archer 1-46, Thushar Deshpande 1-38, Ravindra Jadeja 1-33) beat Rajasthan Royals 225 for 6 in 20 overs (Dhruv Jurel 42, Riyan Parag 90, Ravindra Jadeja 20, Donovan Ferreira 47*; Mitchell  Starc 3-40, Kyle Jamieson 1-48, Axar  Patel 1-39, T Natarajan 1-54) by seven wickets

[Cricinfo]

Two Sri Lanka Under-19 men’s cricketers have been arrested over allegations of filming people bathing in the hotel the players were staying at, in Narahenpita, Colombo. Both players have since been released on a personal bail of LKR 500,000 (approx $1,564).

The cricketers had been arrested earlier this week after women staying at the hotel had complained that they were being filmed using mobile phones, while in their bathrooms. Sri Lanka police told ESPNcricinfo that Narahenpita police are currently investigating if any of these videos have been shared online.

Having been produced at the Aluthkade Magistrate’s Court for their initial hearing, the players are next due back in court on May 25.

SLC has not announced any disciplinary measures of its own. However, the board has been in flux over the past 48 hours, with the ousting of the previous office bearers, and the appointment of the Transformation Committee.

[Cricinfo]

Jason Holder was so omnipresent that his involvement in five dismissals enabled the Gujarat Titans (GT) to bowl Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) out for 155 in Ahmedabad. Such a middling chase was right up the alley of Shubman Gill and B Sai Sudarshan, but once GT lost both their openers in the powerplay, their soft underbelly was exposed once again. They needed cameos from Holder (12 off 10 balls) and their Impact Player RahulTewatia (27* off 17 balls) to get over the line, handing defending champions RCB their third defeat in IPL 2026.

Virat Kohli flew out of the blocks for RCB, hitting Kagiso Rabada for four successive fours in the second over after they were asked to bat first by GT. Even Rabada’s traditional hard length was pumped over mid-off. In the next over, Kohli charged at Mohammed Siraj and deposited him over mid-on for four more. However, when Kohli tried to charge at Rabada in the fourth over, the South Africa quick hit the deck harder and drew a top edge to midwicket. Rabada had the last laugh and gave the departing Kohli (28 off 13 balls) a death stare.

Siraj had earlier dismissed Jacob Bethell, who got another game in place of the injured Phil Salt, for a run-a-ball 5. Rabada and Siraj bowled right through the powerplay and kept RCB to 59 for 2.

Devdutt Padikkal and Rajat Padidar forged a 44-run partnership for the third wicket before Holder caught the RCB captain at deep square leg in the eighth over. Doubts, however, emerged around the legality of the catch when slow-mo replays suggested that Holder may have grassed it more than once, including while sliding. The TV umpire, Abhijit Bhattacharya, perhaps deemed that Holder was in control of his movements and ultimately ruled Patidar out.