IPL:Punjab lost to RCB again
Captain Virat Kohli's slow batting has been costly for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). In a small ground like Sharjah, 171 runs were not enough. With the explosive batting of Mayank Agrawal, captains Lokesh Rahul and Chris Gayle, Kings XI Punjab broke the losing streak by losing to RCB by 8 wickets in Thursday's match of the Indian Premier League. Chasing the target of 172 runs scored by the RCB, Punjab lost 2 wickets in 20 overs and scored 177 runs. This is the first win for Kings XI after five consecutive defeats in the competition. Earlier, the team's only win was against the RCB. As a result, the team hopes to move forward by winning two Yak matches against Kohli. This is the third defeat in four matches by the RCB.
Kohli's 200th match
RCB captain Virat Kohli played his 200th match for the RCB on Thursday. Of these, 185 were in the IPL and 15 in the Champions League T20. Winning the toss, he decided to bat first. Although the two openers started well, Sharjah did not take advantage of the small ground and turn it into a big score. Devdatta Padikal scored 18 off 12 balls (1 four, 1 six) while Arshdeep Singh was dismissed for the ball. The first wicket fell after 37 runs from 25 balls. Similarly, veteran Aaron Finch scored 20 off 18 balls (2 fours, 1 six) while Murugan Ashwin's ball was cleanly bowled. As a result, the RCB innings was 62/2 in 6.3 overs. In the batting order, the decision to bring Washington Sundar and Shivam Dubey to the forefront did not work. RCB scored 50 runs in 5.2 overs, while the mid-wicket slowed to 100 runs in 13.2 overs. Washington, who came in at No. 4, failed to take advantage of the opportunity and scored only 13 (14 balls, 1 four) to become Ashwin's second victim. Similarly, in the 15th over, Ravi Vishnoi hit two sixes in a row but Dubey managed to score 23 (19 balls). Chris Jordan took the wicket. The decision to bring AB de Villiers back in the batting order was costly for the RCB. Mohammad Sami had a great success in the 17th over. De Villiers was dismissed for just two runs in the first half as he came to the crease as he did not have much ball. Sammy dismissed the De Villiers in the third ball of the over and the Kohli batsman in the 5th ball to push the RCB back to 4 feet. Kohli returned to the pavilion with 48 off 39 balls with just 3 fours. In the last two overs, Chris Morris and Isuru flew a few spectacular shots to take the RCB score to 171/6 in 20 overs. In Sammy's last over, Morris hit 3 sixes and 1 four. The South African batsman was unbeaten on 25 off 8 balls (1 four, 3 sixes) and 10 (1 six) off 5 balls. For Punjab, Mohammad Sami and Murugan Ashwin took two wickets each and Arshdeep Singh and Chris Jordan took one wicket each.
Punjab scored 78 off 48 balls in the opening pair to set the stage for victory. Mayank Agrawal batted smoky and was dismissed for 45 off 25 balls (4 fours, 3 sixes). Chris Gayle, who came down to the field for the first time this season, teamed up with captain Lokesh Rahul to lead the team to an easy victory. The dramatic situation was created when only 2 runs were needed to win the last over. Yuzbendra Chahal scored just one run in the first six overs, while Gayle was run out in the 5th ball. As a result, the last ball needed 1 run to win. But turning it into a square, Nicholas Puran put an end to the excitement. Gayle was dismissed for 53 off 45 balls with 5 four and 1 sixes, while Rahul was unbeaten on 61 off 49 balls with 1 four and 5 sixes. Gayle and Rahul shared 93 runs for the second wicket. Chahal was the only wicket taker for the RCB.
Short score
Royal Challengers Bangalore scored 171/6 in 20 overs (Kohli-48, Morris-25 *, Dubey-23, Sami-2/45, Murugan-2/23, Arshadip-1/20, Jordan-1/20). Kings XI Punjab 177/2 in 20 overs (Rahul-6h1 *, Gayle-53, Mayank-45, Chahal-1/35).
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