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Punjab Kings (PBKS) defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in a thrilling contest at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Mumbai oܫn Sunday.
Chasing a massive target of 206, the Kings had a magnificent start, with Mayank Agarwal and Shikhar Dhawan adding 71 runs for the opening wicket in seven overs. The partnership was broken by Wanindu Hasaranga when the Sri Lankan spinner g♛ot r🐭id of Agarwal for 32.
Then, Dhawan (43) and Bhanuka Rajapaksha added 47 runs for the second wicket, but Harshal Patel ruined the plans by removing Dhawan. Soon, Mohammed Siraj joined the party and picked up two wickets in the 14th over to further derail Punjab’s chase. Siraj got rid of Rajapaksha (43) and Raj Bawa (0) in back-to-back deliveries.
However, little did RCB know, a game-changing knock was played by Shahrukh Khan (24 no off 20) and Odean Smith (25 no off 8). Shahrukh smashed a couple of sixes 𒐪while Smith slammed three maximums to help Punjab secure a thriller.
Highest successful chase by #PBKS in IPL:
- 206 vs SRH Hyderabad 2014
- 206 vs CSK Abu Dhabi 2014
- 206 vs RCB Mumbai DYP 2022 *
- 201 vs KKR Kolkata 2010
Earlier, Faf du Plessis displayed his class in his first game for RCB. The newly-appointed RCB captain led from t𝓡he front and smashed a tremendous half-century. The right-handed batter scored 88 off ꧑57 deliveries, with the help of 10 boundaries, including seven sixes.
Du Plessis fell only 12 runs short of what could be his maiden century in the cash-rich league but did his job pretty well. The Pretoria-based cricketer formed a 50-run opening stand with Anuj Rawat (21) before stitching a game-changing 118 runs partnership with former skipper Virat Kohli.
After Du Plessis’ dismissal, Kohli and Dinesh Karthik added a quickfire 37-run stan൲d off just 13 deliveries. While Kohli remained unbeaten 𓄧at 41 off 29 balls, Karthik scored 32 not out from 14 deliveries to take RCB to a massive 205/2 in 20 overs.
Here is how Twitter reacted:
Story of this ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚIPL so fa♓r, chasing 130+,170+ or 200+ team batting second is getting the advantage.
— Vinay Kumar R (@Vinay_Kumar_R)
Last time Punjab Kings cha💫sed 200+ in their opening game they reached the IPL final. It was v CSK at Abu Dhabi in 201﷽4
— Sarang Bhalerao (@bhaleraosarang)
Shahrukh and Smith have always rule💫d the🐓 box office.
— cricBC (@cricBC)
Odean Smith.
— Mpumelelo Mbangwa (@mmbangwa)
Odean Smith,,,,,.
— Ian Raphael Bishop (@irbishi)
Top notch chase by Punjab. Perfect T20 chase. Won't always be on the winning side but Punjab's approach for the season is clear. Everyone scores quickly and hope to win 7-8 games. 26 Boundaries to 22 by RCB.
— Gaurav Sundararaman (@gaurav_sundar)
RCB loses a high-scoring encounter against Punjab Kings.
Scorecard:— betvisa68.com (@CricketTimesHQ)
Odean Smith is a T20 cricketer of staggering power and potential: 25 off 8 balls on his IPL debut explains the hype. Could be the long-term heir 📖to Andre Russell
— Tim Wigmore (@timwig)
Faf ensured don't miss AB & Maxi. And that says everything about this innings. What a knock 👊🏼
— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14)
That was some terrific batting by and , what a cameo by to get to a massive total! Amazing batsmanship I don't see chasing this down but never say never especially in cricket!
— Kris Srikkanth (@KrisSrikkanth)
How good was new captain of 💪 what a knock .. followed by and great finishing touch by . Gr8 p🎃itch to bat but 200 plus is a big target for can they chase ??? What say guys
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh)
//twitter.com/ChloeAmandaB/status/150810064405745🐼6640
❤️💥 DREAM START! Faf couldn't have dreamt of a better start to his tenure in red than this. A dominant performance with the bat.🔥
📸 IPL •
— The Bharat Army (@thebharatarmy)
Faf giving🔜 ABD vibes in his first ever game for . What more could we ask! 🤩
— Ajith Ramamurthy (@Ajith_tweets)
