It was a great show by the Punjab Kings with both bat and ball as they thrashed Royal Challengers Bangalore by 54 runs.
Faf du Plessis won the toss and sent Punjab in to bat first.
Jonny Bairstow and Shikhar Dhawan played some fantastic knocks and made the highest powerplay score by any team in this year’s IPL.
It was then Liam Livingstone who went on to make 70 from 42 balls that really propelled the Punjab Kings to 200+ at the fag end of the innings.
Punjab Kings finished off at 209/9 in their 20 overs.
Royal Challengers Bangalore needed to chase down 210 in 120 balls.
It was always going to be a mammoth chase for RCB right from the start.
Only 4 batsmen made it to double-figure scores in the second innings.
In the end, Royal Challengers Bangalore could only muster 155/9 and Punjab Kings made merry.
Player of the Match
Jonny Bairstow for his 66 (49)
Post Match Reactions
Faf du Plessis, Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper praised Jonny Bairstow’s batting and said that 200 was a par score on this pitch. Mentioned that the loss of wickets in clusters was a major turn around for them. Added that Virat Kohli is taking his dismissals in a light manner. Also said that as they now have a bit of break so they will now prepare better for the next game and forget this loss behind. Talked about having a strong mindset over an extra net session. Ended by saying that they are a very good team but they lacked execution in the match.
Mayank Agarwal, Punjab Kings captain was happy with the win and praised the English duo of Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone for giving them such a huge total. Added that it is very essential to understand the condition of the pitch and adapt oneself accordingly. Also said that they need to be more aggressive with the ball as the boundaries are shorter. Mentioned that these are very crucial two points for the team and as long as the job is getting done, he will keep batting in the middle order. Ended by praising Arshdeep Singh as a very energetic guy who is confident and enjoys his cricket.
Next Match
Punjab Kings will next face Delhi Capitals on the 16th of May at Dr DY Patil Stadium.
Royal Challengers Bangalore will be up against the Gujarat Titans on the 19th of May at Wankhede Stadium.
