Trent Boult’s striking performance against the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday has left former Rajasthan Royals captain Shane Watson in awe with the left-arm pacer’s accuracy at the start of the innings.
Boult was the wrecker-in-chief in the Royals’ six-wicket win over MI, striking twice with the new ball in the first over of the game. He picked up three wickets in four balls to reduce MI to 14/3 in the third over.
Shane Watson, an Indian Premier League winner with the Rajasthan Royals was lavish in his praise for Boult’s exploits with the new ball this season.
“Trent Boult is just so accurate. He rarely misses his execution with the brand-new ball in the first over,” Watson said on Jio Cinema. “He hits the ground, sprinting, so accurate.”
MI could never recover from that spell as they managed to make 125/9. With no scoreboard pressure, Riyan Parag anchored the Royals’ chase with an unbeaten half-century to take them home with 27 balls to spare.
With the double strike against MI, Boult completed 25 scalps in the first over of the IPL, which is joint-highest along with Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The New Zealand pacer is also third on the list of most wicket-takers in the powerplay in the IPL, with 55 of his total wickets coming in the first six overs.
“He is just an absolute weapon and he continues to do it over and over again,” Watson said. “It’s like he is just getting younger with age. He is so energetic and he is always on the money from ball one, and what an asset to have for the Rajasthan Royals.”
Trent Boult was signed by Rajasthan Royals from Mumbai Indians during the mega auction before IPL 2022 and played a key role in the Royals reaching the finals in IPL 2022, their first since the inaugural season.
Boult, a former MI player, used his knowledge of the pitch, conditions and opponents to good effect to give the Royals an early advantage in the MI vs RR game. He got good assistance from the pitch with the new ball and swung it both ways. He was adjudged Player of the Match for his spell of 3/22.
“It was not just me, it was a collective effort,” Boult said during the post-match presentation ceremony. “It was good to win the toss, and then you have to put the ball in the right areas and get some early wickets. It’s a recipe to succeed.”
With the win against MI, the Royals are still unbeaten this year and stand on top of the IPL 2024 points table. Boult is joint-third most wicket-getter in IPL 2024 with five wickets from three matches.
Boult has played 29 matches for the Royals picking up 34 wickets at an average of 26.17 and strike rate of 19.58 and is currently 10th on the list of highest wicket-takers for Rajasthan Royals.
Rajasthan Royals next play Royal Challengers Bengaluru on April 6 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.
