PBKS vs RCB: We Held Our Nerves And Took The Right Chances - Mayank Agarwal

Punjab Kings (PBKS) captain Mayank Agarwal was a happy man with the way his team performed in their opening clash of the IPL 2022 season against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Sunday.

PBKS chased down a steep total of 206 on a good batting surface to start their campaign with a victory. All their specialist batters came to the party with Shahrukh Khan and Odean Smith applying the finishing touches.

RCB bowlers were quite poor in their execution and paid the price. There were as many as 23 extras in both innings, showcasing the rustiness in the franchise’s considering it is their first game of the season.

“Two points very important. Very good wicket for batting and we batted exceedingly well. It also became a lot easier to bat second due to dew. But credit to the way we finished – we held our nerves and took the right chances. Glad it came off.”

“I thought we gave them 15-20 more. The way Faf and Virat Kohli batted, I thought they took the game away for us. We trust our skills. It doesn’t come off, it doesn’t come off but we are not going to panic and make a scene out of it,” Agarwal said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

Odean won the Player of the Match award for his 8-ball 25 that sealed the deal for his team. Although he had a terrible day with the ball, conceding 52 runs in 4 overs, he more than made up for it with a match-winning cameo.

RCB – 205/2 (20 overs)

Faf du Plessis – 88 (57)
Virat Kohli – 41 (29)

PBKS – 208/5 (19 overs)

Bhanuka Rajapaksa – 43 (22)
Odean Smith – 25 (8)

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