all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja This was the main reason why Rajasthan Royals (RR) won by 40 runs during an up-and-down contest against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Match No. 32 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. Jadeja was declared player of the match after his unbeaten 43 off 29 saved RR from collapse, followed by a match-defining tight spell of 1-29 in the second innings.
As he accepted the POTM award and went for a chat with Murali Karthik to reflect on the performance, Jadeja took a moment and dedicated the award to his wife Rivaba Jadeja, calling her fondly from her professional position of being the Education Minister of Gujarat.
In the presentation after the match, Jadeja said, “It feels good, being Man of the Match and winning. I want to dedicate this award to the Education Minister of Gujarat. He had said yesterday that I will perform well and I did well.”
Jadeja, who won his first POTM after reuniting with RR in 2026, said he wanted to stay in the middle while wickets kept falling at the other end. After all, their orderly beginnings and late flourishing went hand in hand -Shubham Dubey (19* off 11) helped RR post a total of 159-5 in 20 overs, which they were able to defend, and bowled out LSG for 119.
“It was not an easy wicket to bat on because the ball was seaming and swinging. I wanted to play as long as I could. In T20 cricket, you never know how much you can take advantage of in the last over and we did that.” [On the last over] It is not easy to return from injury. I was just supporting my strength. I was telling my partner to wait and go after bowling.
“[On the celebration after taking Pooran’s wicket] Yes, Nicholas Pooran is in my pocket. A sudden idea came to my mind and I did it. [On bowling slow] The ball was gripping so I was wondering whether I should bowl fast or slow. While bowling slower, I got some grip and that helped,” said the cricketer.
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