Nitish Rana, Shikhar Dhawan
Nitish Rana, Shikhar Dhawan [PC: BCCI]

Last Update on: April 1st, 2023 at 10:12 pm

PBKS vs KKR – Match report: Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Arshdeep Singh starred with bat and ball respectively as Punjab Kings (PBKS) beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 7 runs (DLS method) to begin their campaign in IPL 2023 with a win.

PBKS vs KKR: KKR innings:

Chasing 193, KKR were off to a poor start. After Rahmanullah Gurbaz finished the first over by smashing Sam Curran for a six and a four, Arshdeep Singh dismissed Mandeep Singh and Anukul Roy in the second over to put PBKS on top. Even before KKR could recover from those setbacks, Nathan Ellis struck to remove Gurbaz as the visitors found themselves reeling at 29 for 3 in the 5th over.

Also Read: PBKS vs KKR: Watch – Nathan Ellis Cleans Up IPL Debutant Rahmanullah Gurbaz For 22

Venkatesh Iyer and Nitish Rana then stopped the rot and took the score past the 50-run mark. But just when the partnership looked settled, Sikandar Raza sent back Rana for 24 to once again put his team firmly in command of the proceedings. Rinku Singh did not last long either and perished while playing a slog sweep off Rahul Chahar.

Andre Russell then managed to revive his team’s hopes for a while by playing some fine shots. He and Iyer added 50 runs for the sixth wicket in quick time before Sam Curran ended his knock with a short ball. The West Indies star departed after smashing 35 off 19 balls. 8 runs later, Iyer joined him in the hut too to leave KKR reeling at 138 for 7. The visitors could add only 8 more runs after that before rain brought a premature end to the game.

Also Read: PBKS vs KKR: WATCH – Arshdeep Singh Gives Anukul Roy The Death Stare Sent-Off As Punjab Kings Find A Grip Over Kolkata Knight Riders

PBKS vs KKR: PBKS’ innings:

Earlier in the game, PBKS posted a competitive total of 191 for 5 in the allotted 20 overs. Asked to bat first, the home side were off to a good start with Prabhsimran Singh playing a quickfire cameo. The opener smashed 23 off just 11 balls before Tim Southee sent him back.

Skipper Shikhar Dhawan and Bhanuka Rajapaksa then laid the foundation for the big total by adding 86 runs for the second wicket. Rajapaksa was the aggressor during the stand while Dhawan looked more than happy to play the role of the second fiddle.

The Sri Lanka star completed his fifty off just 30 balls with the help of 5 fours and a couple of sixes. Umesh Yadav ended his knock after the southpaw miscued his shot at long-on where Rinku Singh took an easy catch.

Jitesh Sharma (21 off 11) also played a fine cameo before he and Dhawan departed in quick succession to leave PBKS reeling at 143 for 4 from 135 for 2. PBKS went on to finish their innings strongly thanks to Sam Curran’s brilliant knock of 26 from 17 balls.

Brief scores: PBKS 191 for 5 (Bhanuka Rajapaksa 50; Tim Southee 2-54) beat KKR 146/7 in 16 overs (Andre Russell 35; Arshdeep Singh 3-19) by 7 runs (DLS method).

Also Read: PBKS vs KKR: Shikhar Dhawan Equals Virat Kohli’s Impressive Feat In IPL

 

Watch: PBKS vs KKR Match Highlights IPL 2023