At the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Sunday, March 30, in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 match between the Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Riyan Parag took the audacious decision to give Sandeep Sharma the vital final over.
After the Rajasthan Royals scored 129/3 in their first 12 overs, CSK decided to bowl first and came back strongly towards the conclusion of the first innings. Only 53 runs were scored by the home team in the final eight overs. With 81 runs off of just 36 deliveries, Nitish Rana shone out for the Royals. Parag had a 28-ball 37 as well. For CSK, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, and Matheesha Pathirana each took two wickets.
Ruturaj Gaikwad consolidated the CSK innings though Rajasthan constantly eliminated batsmen from other end. The right-hander retrieved 63 runs from 44 delivered balls before Hasaranga obtained extraordinary bowling numbers of 4/35 for the evening.
MS Dhoni made the strategic move to move up to the breaking point at No. 7 batting position before his team needed to score 54 runs within 25 remaining deliveries. The 43-year-old formed an alliance with Ravindra Jadeja which lifted up CSK fans. The rest of the match required CSK to score 39 more runs during the last two overs.
Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpande, and Sandeep Sharma were Parag’s three pacers, and each had one over remaining. At the last minute, Parag gave the ball to Deshpande rather than to the more seasoned bowlers Archer and Sandeep. In the over, Dhoni smashed a four and a six, while the Mumbai bowler gave up three boundaries.
When Archer, who gave up just 13 runs in his first three overs and also took out the dangerous Rachin Ravindra, had an over remaining and 20 runs needed in the final over, Parag decided to toss the ball to Sandeep. Dhoni was dismissed off the next ball by the seasoned bowler after he had began with a wide. Dhoni was dismissed by Shimron Hetmyer’s outstanding catch at deep mid-wicket.
Why Did Riyan Parag Hand the 20th Over to Sandeep Sharma?
Sandeep’s skill as a bowler in the final overs is undeniable. He can deceive the batsmen by changing his tempo and hitting the yorkers with precision. He has, nevertheless, also had experience ending games against the opposition with Dhoni.
It’s interesting to remember that in Dhoni’s 200th IPL match, Sandeep had protected 21 runs in the final over against CSK in 2023.
Parag, meanwhile, talked about his emotions following his first IPL victory as captain. He also explained why he decided against bowling Archer in the last moments.
“(On how he feels after his first win as captain) Took a lot of time, just two games, but felt really long. We still think we were 20 short. We lost a couple of wickets quickly (in the middle overs). But we bowled really well. We have had two tough games, but the chat was to forget those games, come with a fresh mindset and have a good game collectively.”
Riyan Parag
“(On Archer not bowling out) Just assessing the situation, luckily had seven options. Went with the gut feeling. Fielding always makes up for the runs we were short. We are working a lot with Dishant Yagnik, our fielding coach, and it is paying off.”
Riyan Parag
