• Ravichandran Ashwin bowls a terrific carrom ball to get rid of Sikandar Raza.

  • Ashwin was the most economical bowler for Rajasthan Royals in the contest against Punjab Kings.

RR vs PBKS, WATCH: Ravichandran Ashwin deceives Sikandar Raza with a sizzling carrom ball – IPL 2023
Ravichandran Ashwin cleans up Sikandar Raza (Image Source: Twitter)

Ravichandran Ashwin showcased his tremendous bowling skills in the eighth match of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) held between Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) at Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Wednesday.

In the crazy run-fest where Punjab ended up posting a humungous total of 197 runs for the loss of four wickets in 20 overs, Ashwin was the most economical bowler for the Sanju Samson-led Rajasthan team.

The Chennai-born ace spinner only conceded 25 runs in his quota of 4 overs and also picked up one wicket in the form of dangerous Sikandar Raza. In fact, Ashwin’s dismissal of Raza became the major talking point as he got rid of the Zimbabwean star with a peach of a delivery.

It all happened on the first ball of the 17th over when Ashwin delivered a masterful carrom ball that angled in and then turned away. It lured Raza to come forward, and then the ball straightened and missed the outside edge, ultimately crashing into the off-stump. Ashwin seemed to relish the moment, while Raza failed to make an impact at the packed house in Guwahati.

Here is the video:

When it comes to Punjab’s innings, they scored a challenging total of 197/4, thanks to the outstanding performances of Prabhsimran Singh and skipper Shikhar Dhawan. Prabhsimran smashed seven boundaries and three sixes, ruthlessly punishing the Rajasthan bowlers in the first 10 overs. He achieved his first-ever IPL half-century in just 28 balls, as he and Dhawan built a strong opening partnership of 90 runs in just 61 balls.

At first, Dhawan played a supporting role to Prabhsimran, scoring 30 runs off 30 balls. But once Prabhsimran was dismissed, Dhawan shifted gears seamlessly and scored 56 runs off the next 26 balls he faced, accelerating the run rate and adding crucial runs to the total. The PBKS skipper ended up scoring 86 off 56 balls, including 9 fours and 3 sixes.

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