IPL 2021: Deepak Hooda, KL Rahul onslaught help Punjab Kings defeat Rajasthan Royals
Rahul and Gayle show for PBKS (Photo: BCCI/IPL)
Punjab Kings were invited to bat first and were off to a shaky start as they lost opener Mayank Agarwal early in the innings. Chris Gayle and KL Rahul brought in the fireworks and stitched a crucial partnership to help PBKS build a solid base.
Deepak Hooda steals the show (Photo: BCCI/IPL)
It was Deepak Hooda who stole the show with his blistering knock of 62 runs in just 28 deliveries laced with four boundaries and six 6s. Courtesy some brilliant hitting by Rahul and Hooda, PBKS posted 221/6 in 20 overs.
Punjab Kings bowlers strike early (Photo: BCCI/IPL)
Rajasthan Royals started the 222-run chase on a torrid note as they lost opener Ben Stokes for a three-ball duck while Manan Vohra was dismissed for 12. Jos Buttler started promisingly as he smashed Riley Meredith for four consecutive boundaries but was soon sent packing by Jhye Richardson.
Arshdeep Singh continues his good form (Photo: BCCI/IPL)
Arshdeep Singh continued his good run of form for Punjab Kings and got the big wickets of Manan Vohra and Shivam Dube at a crucial stage of the match. He later removed Sanju Samson in the last ball of the match to help Punjab Kings win the match.
Sanju Samson with an expansive knock! (Photo: BCCI/IPL)
Sanju Samson and Riyan Parag put the pressure back on Punjab Kings bowlers with some expansive shots in the middle overs as the duo took the chase deep.
Samson played a blinder of a knock and became the first debutant captain to score a century in IPL. However, his was dismissed in the last ball of the match when RR required six runs to win. Samson ended up with 119 runs off just 63 deliveries but wasn’t enough to take his team over the winning line.
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