CRICKET
Punjab spinners wreck the Challengers
In the 26th match of 2021 IPL, Royal Challengers Bangalore were up against the Punjab Kings.
KL Rahul’s won the match with 34 runs as RCB got outplayed.
Punjab has now climbed up to the table with 3 wins and 4 losses.
RCB won the toss and opted to bowl first.
The innings didn’t start well for the Punjab as they lost their opener Prabhsimran Singh who made just 7.
However, the day belonged to captain Rahul who lifted the team up and played one of the best innings of his IPL career.
Rahul made an unbeaten 91 runs off just 57 balls with 5 sixes and 7 fours, taking the game away from RCB.
He was well supported by the mighty Chris Gayle who made 46 runs off just 24 balls with 6 fours and 2 sixes.
Gayle’s quick and entertaining innings laid the foundation of victory after a poor start.
Apart from these two, no other player managed to reach double figures.
However, Punjab Kings made 179 with the loss of 5 wickets in their 20 overs.
RCB’s bowlers had no answers to Rahul’s brilliance and Gayle’s quick cameo.
Kyle Jamieson bowled well taking 2 wickets. Daniel Sams, Shahbaz Ahmed and Chahal took 1 wicket each.
Chasing 180 to win, RCB lost their opener early as Devdutt Padikkal made only 7 runs before returning back to pavilion.
However, skipper Virat Kohli took responsibility and played a decent innings of 35 runs off 34 balls.
With the support of Rajat Patidar who made 31, RCB was cruising along.
That’s when Harpreet Brar stepped in with 3 wickets as the RCB batting order collapsed.
Harpreet Brar accounted for Virat Kohli, Maxwell and AB de Villiers, giving away only 19 runs in his 4 overs.
Punjab have struggled with their bowling department throughout the season, but not this time.
RCB finished with 145 for 8 in their 20 overs, losing by 34 runs.
Punjab Kings 179 for 5 (Rahul 91*, Gayle 46, Jamieson 2-32) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 145 for 8 (Kohli 35, Brar 3-19, Bishnoi 2-17) by 34 runs
Preview: Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings
It is time for the biggest match of the weekend.
The defending champions are taking on their arch rivals Chennai Super Kings.
The Kings are on a winning streak as they have won 5 matches in a row.
Dhoni’s men only lost one game so far.
Chennai are on top of the table with 10 points. Their batting and bowling both are looking ominously good.
Their all-rounders (Curran, Jadeja and Bravo) are delivering in every match but the biggest plus point is the crackling form of openers, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis.
As past records show, when the openers, CSK invariably win.
On the other side, Mumbai will look to continue their winning momentum.
They have won their previous match against the Royals.
Both De Kock and Krunal Pandya are now in great form.
Captain Rohit Sharma is yet to score big and this will be the perfect stage for him. Both sides are well-balanced so it will be interesting to see who will come on top? But, it will be a thriller, for sure.