Mumbai: In a high scoring match, Punjab Kings on Sunday managed to clinch the victory from Royal Challengers Bangalore chasing 200+ target to open the season on a winning note.
Punjab Kings scored 208/5 in 19 overs in reply to Royal Challengers Bangalore’s 205/2 to register a five-wicket win in Match-3 of the Indian Premier League.
Chasing a mammoth 206-run target Punjab Kings needed a flying start and their openers Shikhar Dhawan and captain Mayank Agarwal did exactly. The Dhawan-Agarwal duo took their team’s total to the 50-run mark in just 4.3 overs. In six overs the 2014 finalist Punjab had put on 63 runs in six overs.
The 71-run opening partnership was finally broken as leg-break bowler Wanindu Hasaranga dismissed Punjab captain Mayank Agarwal for 32 off 24 balls.
Sri Lanka wicket-keeper batter Bhanuka Rajapaksa joined Shikhar Dhawan in the middle and they both took Punjab’s total to a triple-figure mark in 10.1 overs.
The 47-run partnership between Dhawan and Rajapaksa came to an end as Harshal Patel got the important wicket of Dhawan who scored 43 off 29 balls hitting five fours and one six to leave Punjab at 118/2.
Rajapaksa hit some big blows to put some pressure on RCB bowlers but Mohammed Siraj got his wicket to bring Bangalore back in the game. Rajapaksa scored 43 from 22 balls hitting four sixes and two fours. On the very next ball, Siraj dismissed Raj Bawa leg before wicket to a golden duck to reduce Punjab Kings to 139/3.
Liam Livingstone and Shahrukh Khan took the team’s total beyond the 150-run mark in 14.3 overs. Medium-pacer Akash Deep dismissed Livingstone caught by Anuj Rawat for 19 from 10 balls as Punjab lost half of its side for 156.
With half of the side dismissed Punjab needed 36 to win from the last three overs at a required run-rate of 12 runs per over Shahrukh Khan and Odean Smith batted brilliantly to chase down a target with one over to spare.