During the IPL 2023 match between Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Rajasthan Royals (RR), an intense moment unfolded between Shimron Hetmyer and Sam Curran.
The incident occurred in the 17th over of the Royals’ innings when Hetmyer was initially given out caught behind but the decision was overturned after a review. As Curran walked past Hetmyer, a verbal exchange took place between the two players.
Hetmyer × Sam Curran 🤜🤛🔥
Intensity × Aggression🥵💥 pic.twitter.com/WpBcZMmYv8— Mani Dhoni (@manidhonii) May 19, 2023
The tension between Hetmyer and Curran escalated further when Hetmyer hit a boundary off Curran’s bowling in the following over. After the shot, Hetmyer circled around Curran, adding to the intensity of the moment. Sensing the situation, the umpires quickly intervened and separated the two players, preventing the situation from escalating any further.
Kids: Play a drive
Adults: Play a drive and hold the pose
Hetmyer: #PBKSvRR #IPLonJioCinema #TATAIPL #IPL2023 #EveryGameMatters pic.twitter.com/uF3jN5One8— JioCinema (@JioCinema) May 19, 2023
However, Curran managed to have the last laugh as he eventually dismissed Hetmyer in the same over. The clash between the two players added an extra layer of excitement to an already thrilling IPL contest.
After guiding his team to a 4-wicket win with his 28-ball 46, Hetmyer said: “It’s always good to have someone say something to me, it doesn’t really happen much.
“I really enjoyed it today, giving me a little bit more confidence and a little bit more energy to execute and do what I need to do,” Hetmyer was quoted as saying to the official broadcasters.
When asked about the verbal exchange with Curran, the southpaw said, “Not anything I can disclose here to be honest.”
With the recent victory, RR have reached to 14 points in the 2023 IPL standings, securing the fifth spot. Their hopes of making it to the top four now rely on the outcomes of the last matches for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Mumbai Indians (MI). In order to secure a spot in the playoffs, Rajasthan will be rooting for both RCB and MI to suffer defeats in their respective matches.
MI are set to face Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Mumbai, while RCB will be hosting Gujarat Titans (GT) in Bengaluru on Sunday, May 21.
