IPL 2021: PBKS vs RCB Review – KL Rahul and Harpreet Brar sink Bangalore

Punjab Kings managed to pull off a stunning victory by beating Royal Challengers Bangalore in an IPL 2021 match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday, April 30. RCB went down badly after being set a target of 180 by the Punjab Kings. This was Kings’ third win in seven games while Bangalore lost their second match in seven matches.

Royal Challengers Bangalore won the toss and elected to bowl first. They picked up Prabhsimran Singh early in the innings but Chris Gayle was seen in full flow after this. He scored 46 runs off 24 balls to keep Punjab’s run rate more than 9. When he got out at 99 for 2, Punjab slipped into trouble to 118 for 5.

KL Rahul held one end scoring another half-century and took over the orange cap from Shikhar Dhawan. He added 61 runs for the sixth wicket with Harpreet Brar, who himself scored 25 runs from 17 balls. Rahul ended with 91 runs from 57 balls. Their stand helped Punjab get to 179 for 5. Punjab started well with the ball getting rid of Devdutt Padikkal early. But it was the key wicket of Virat Kohli which turned the course of the match.

Kohli made 35 runs while Rajat Patidar scored 31 runs. From 61 for 1, RCB slipped into trouble to 69 for 4. By the time they got to that, the match pretty much was gone from Bangalore’s reach. Harshal Patel scored 31 quick runs from 13 balls as RCB ended with 145 for 8. For Punjab, it was Ravi Bishnoi and Harpreet Brar who picked up two and three wickets respectively, to cause Bangalore’s collapse.

Top performers:

KL Rahul:

The Punjab captain played a captain’s knock in this game. He started slowly as Chris Gayle scored quickly and got some boundaries. He accelerated for a while during the middle of the innings, before the wickets at the other end slowed him down again. He picked up the rate beautifully in the death overs and ended with 91 runs from 57 balls.

Harpreet Brar:

His presence today restored the balance for Punjab in this match. His knock of 25 runs was crucial to reduce the pressure off Rahul. Later, he picked up Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers to derail RCB’s chase. His spell was the turning point in the match.

Personal records/Achievements:

Harpreet Brar became the 8th bowler to pick Virat Kohli as his maiden wicket in IPL.

Way ahead:

Punjab will now play Delhi on May 2. Bangalore will face Kolkata on May 3.