Punjab Kings have started their campaign with a bang as they have beaten the Royal Challengers Bangalore by 5 wickets.
Mayank Agarwal won the toss and decided to bowl first against Faf du Plessis.
Bangalore’s foundation was solid right from ball one as new skipper Faf led the way.
Anuj Rawat and Virat Kohli played supporting knocks with Faf.
Faf made 88 off 57 balls and made a 100 run partnership with ex-skipper Virat Kohli for the second wicket.
After the departure of Faf, Dinesh Karthik and Kohli kept up the tempo and smashed boundaries off every PBKS bowler.
Bangalore finished off with a mammoth 205/2 in their 20 overs and Punjab Kings had to chase down 206.
It was looking as if Punjab Kings will once again lose their opening match of the IPL.
But a solid start from captain Mayank Agarwal and Shikhar Dhawan proved that Punjab was very much in the race.
After the dismissal of Agarwal, Sri Lanka’s Bhanuka Rajapaksa came in to bat and then the carnage started off when he smashed the bowling of fellow countryman, Wanindu Hasranga.
Liam Livingstone too played a quickfire inning of 19 but Under-19 sensation Raj Bawa was lbw first ball.
It was then Tamil Nadu’s Shahrukh Khan and Odean Smith who inflicted more damage upon RCB by hitting several boundaries and took their team home with 6 balls to spare.
Player of the Match
Odean Smith for his 0/52 off 4 overs and 25* off 8 balls.
Post Match Reaction
Faf du Plessis, Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper said that they were pretty lax in their fielding today but were brilliant with the bat. He praised Shahrukh and Smith and mentioned that Punjab had a better Powerplay than them. He also mentioned that he was pretty tired from all the running in the first innings.
Mayank Agarwal, Punjab Kings skipper said that 200 is never an easy target to chase but they batted really well. He also added that gaining two points first up is always motivating for any team. He also mentioned that the wicket eased out a bit in the second innings and this made it easier for them to bat on. Added that they gave away 15-20 runs more which enabled Faf and Virat to score runs easily. Ended by saying that they will keep the positivity in the camp up whether or not the batting department flusters or shines for them in the tournament.
Next Match
Punjab Kings will next play Kolkata Knight Riders on the 1st of April at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai while RCB too will play Kolkata Knight Riders on the 30th of March at Dr DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai.
