PBKS vs RCB: An outstanding unbeaten 52-run partnership between Odean Smith and Shahrukh Khan helped Punjab Kings beat RCB by 5 wickets in a high scoring thriller on Sunday.
Odean Smith and Shahrukh Khan played unbeaten knocks of 25 off 8 and 24 off 20 respectively to help their team start their campaign with a morale-boosting win. Chasing a mammoth 205-run total, Punjab made a brisk start.
Skipper Mayank Agarwal and Shikhar Dhawan put on 71 runs for the opening wicket before the former got out after scoring 32 off 24 balls. Shikhar Dhawan, on the other hand, also played a handy knock of 43 runs in 29 deliveries.
Later, Rajapaksa (43 off 22) and Liam Livingstone (19 off 10) also made valuable contributions to keep the momentum going. For RCB, all the bowlers conceded plenty of runs including the extras.
Earlier, riding on a sensational knock from Faf du Plessis, Royal Challengers Bangalore notched a huge score of 205 runs in the first innings.
Faf du Plessis started off slowly but before switching gears after the power play. He went on to score 88 runs in 57 balls.
Virat Kohli played an unbeaten knock of 41 runs in just 28 balls, while Dinesh Karthik played a brilliant cameo of 32 runs in 14 balls.
RCB will be playing their next match against Kolkata Knight Riders on Wednesday, March 30. They would look to get back to winning ways. Punjab Kings, on the other hand, will also face Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday, April 1.
What the captains said:
“Two points very important. A very good wicket for batting and we batted exceedingly well. It also became a lot easier to bat second due to dew. But credit to the way we finished – we held our nerves and took the right chances. Glad it came off. I thought we gave them 15-20 more. The way Faf and Virat batted, I thought they took the game away for us. It’s a lot to do with the batting depth but we trust the skills. We’ve made it clear in the dressing room that whoever is out there is good enough. If it doesn’t come off it doesn’t come off,” said PBKS skipper Mayank Agarwal.
“We probably dropped Odean on 10, and he’s a really powerful hitter. You need to hold on to your chances. Cliche: catches win matches. Dew out there, small margins. Punjab had a really good powerplay. The ball skidded more in the second innings. I know what Odean Smith can do to you so you need to hold on to your chances. (on his own batting) I thought it was quite tough in the beginning. The ball was swinging. Pleasing to get through,” said RCB skipper Faf du Plessis.
PBKS vs RCB Brief Scores: Punjab Kings 208 for 5 (Rajapaksa 43, Dhawan 43, Agarwal 32, Siraj 2-59) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 205 for 2 (du Plessis 88, Kohli 41*, Karthik 32*) by five wickets
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