GUWAHATI: England all-rounder Sam Curran defended 16 off the final over as Punjab Kings beat Rajasthan Royals by five runs in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Wednesday.
Rajasthan looked beat at 129-6, needing 69 from 24 balls, but Shimron Hetmyer and Dhruv Jurel hit 53 off three overs, including 19 off Curran in the 18th.
“You just know it is do or die,” said Curran. “Those are the moments you practice for.
“The ball was like a soap, but we couldn’t get it changed and we had to get on with it.
“It is amazingly hard to bowl with the ball like that. You try in training to dip it into water but it is extremely tough.”
Punjab made 197-4 with opener Shikhar Dhawan making 86 not out off 56 balls.
The victory means they have won their opening two games for just the third time.
