PBKS vs RCB Review – Siraj and RCB sink Punjab Kings
Royal Challengers Bangalore emerged victorious by 24 runs against Punjab Kings at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on April 20. Notably, Virat Kohli stood in as the skipper of the side after Faf du Plessis picked up a rib injury in his previous outing against CSK, and the team decided to use him only as a batter and not as a fielder.
Upon winning the toss, PBKS’ stand-in skipper Sam Curran decided to field first. What followed was RCB’s opening duo of Kohli and Faf getting off to a fiery start, making full use of the powerplay (1-6 overs). The opening pair got 59 runs in the powerplay and were cruising towards a competitive first innings total.
Despite nursing a rib injury, Faf got his half-century off 31 balls with three sixes and four boundaries to his name. Meanwhile, Kohli too notched up his fifty in 40 balls and was eventually dismissed by Harpreet Brar, who struck twice in the same over.
After the dismissal of Kohli, Brar got the vital scalp of Glenn Maxwell to dent RCB’s hopes of attaining a humongous total. Faf too was sent packing the very next over by Nathan Ellis for 84 runs as RCB concluded with 174 runs on the board.
In reply, the visiting team got the early breakthroughs as PBKS were kept reeling in the chase. Mohammed Siraj returned with a four-wicket haul whereas Wanindu Hasaranga got two to his name. Down the order, Jitesh Sharma tried to revive the chase with his quickfire knock of 41 off 27 balls. Despite this, RCB prevailed as they won by 24 runs.
Here are the top performers of the match-
Faf du Plessis
Despite the injury, Faf helped RCB remain steady in the first innings. The batter clobbered five sixes and as many fours to score 84 runs off 56 balls. On a wicket that proved to be on the slower side, Faf produced a fine knock to help RCB get a competitive first-inning score.
Mohammed Siraj
Siraj played an instrumental innings with the ball as he not only got the breakthroughs but also restricted the rival side from targeting him for the big runs. The pacer returned with a four-wicket haul and gave mere 21 runs in his four overs.
What’s next for both teams?
PBKS play Mumbai Indians on April 22 at the iconic Wankhede Stadium whereas RCB will lock horns with Rajasthan Royals on Sunday, April 23
