Punjab Kings vs Rajasthan Royals: A Crucial Encounter For The Kings
It was a critical encounter for Punjab Kings. A win would almost ensure a place in the playoffs, while for the Rajasthan Royals (RR), it was their pride at stake after a rather disastrous campaign in the ongoing IPL. Punjab pulled it through once again as an extremely brittle RR unit could not sail through, and very predictably succumbed in the end, losing by 10 runs.
Sensational Nehal Wadhera For The Kings
The depth of the Punjab Kings’ batting was tested today and came out with flying colours. RR had the Kings on a leash at 32/3, but then, Nehal Wadhera produced an innings to remember. The southpaw played the hooks and the pulls to perfection and ran hard, too. His 70 off just 37 balls turned the match in the Kings’ favour.
The Dependable Shashank Singh
Shashank Singh proved once again how mature a cricketer he has become and how dependable he can be for the Kings. His unconquered 59, along with a fine cameo from Omarzai, helped Punjab Kings to an extremely good 219 in 20 overs.
RR Make A Whirlwind Start But Lose Out Dramatically In The End
Yashasvi Jaiswal and teenager Vaibhav Sooryavanshi gave a whirlwind start to RR. In the 5th over, the Royals had reached 76 when they lost Vaibhav. Jaiswal reached his 50 but departed immediately, which put the brakes on the scoring. As has been the usual script with RR, Samson and Riyaan Parag left early too, leaving Dhruv Jurel and Shimron Hetmyer to take RR to victory. Hetmyer failed once again, and Jurel, with too much to do, could not carry RR to victory. It was such a predictable and usual game for RR, quite the way the season has unfolded for them.
Punjab Kings ‘ Harpreet Brar Spins The Kings To Victory
Harpreet Brar bowled brilliantly for the Kings, scalping 3 crucial wickets. His spell was instrumental in pulling the game towards his team. Marco Jansen and Omarzai got a couple of wickets each, and though Chahal went wicketless, he kept things tight for the Kings.
Punjab On the Verge of Qualification
The win has put Punjab on the verge of a very deserved qualification to the play-offs. At 17 points and still 2 more games to go, the Kings look good to be in the top 4 and would be one of the favourites for the title.
Harpreet Brar was adjudged the POTM.
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