Match overview

Punjab Kings beat Rajasthan Royals by 5 wickets in Guwahati on 15 May 2024, chasing down a target of 145 with relative comfort despite losing 3 wickets in the powerplay. Rajasthan Royals won the toss, elected to bat, and posted 144/9, well below the Barsapara Cricket Stadium's average first-innings score of 188 across 25 IPL matches. Sam Curran was named Player of the Match. The result leaves Rajasthan with three successive defeats heading into the later stages of the 2024 season.

Rajasthan's innings had promise early on, reaching 38/1 in the powerplay. The middle phase unravelled their total. Five wickets fell for 65 runs between overs 7 and 15, and although they recovered to add 41 in the death, 144 was always likely to be short on a ground that routinely produces higher scores.

Punjab's chase had its own anxious moments. Three wickets fell in the powerplay for 39 runs, and at that point the match had a genuine contest. But they lost only 1 more wicket in the middle phase whilst scoring 64, and that steady passage effectively settled the game. The remaining 42 death-over runs came for the loss of 1 wicket, with Punjab crossing the line at 145/5.

Venue and conditions

Barsapara Cricket Stadium has hosted 25 IPL matches with an average first-innings score of 188, making Rajasthan's 144 a significant underperformance. The average second-innings score of 164 tells a similar story: this was a match where both sides scored noticeably below the venue's historical norms, suggesting the surface played slower than usual.

The ground's powerplay average is 47 runs, so Punjab's 39/3 from that phase underperformed on runs whilst also conceding wickets at a rate the ground does not always demand. Teams winning the toss have chosen to field 73% of the time at Barsapara, though the chase success rate is only 46%, making the venue's toss strategy a complicated calculation. Rajasthan's decision to bat first was broadly in line with historical precedent, but the execution fell short.

Death overs at Barsapara average 39 runs, which matched almost exactly what both sides produced in that phase: Rajasthan got 41, Punjab got 42. The real divergence was in the middle overs, where Rajasthan's 5-wicket collapse was the decisive passage of play.

How to watch

IPL 2024 matches are broadcast in the UK on Sky Sports Cricket, with live streaming available through Sky Go and NOW TV. Sky's coverage typically includes pre-match build-up, live commentary, and post-match analysis for all fixtures throughout the tournament. A NOW TV Day Membership or Sky Sports subscription is required for access.

Recent form

Rajasthan Royals came into this match having lost three of their previous five fixtures in IPL 2024, with defeats against Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals, and Sunrisers Hyderabad sandwiched around wins over Lucknow Super Giants and Mumbai Indians. A third consecutive defeat here, following the losses to Delhi and Sunrisers, will increase pressure on their qualification outlook.

Punjab Kings' form going into this match was similarly mixed, with two wins and three losses from their previous five. Victories over Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders were offset by defeats against Royal Challengers Bangalore, Chennai Super Kings, and Gujarat Titans. The win at Barsapara stops a two-game losing run and gives them a boost as the tournament moves towards its final stages.