In a riveting end to the double-header day, Punjab Kings (PBKS) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by five wickets in match number three of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022.
As Faf du Plessis-Virat Kohli's blitz gave RCB a push in the middle overs, Dinesh Karthik's thunder in the slog overs blew away the PBKS bowlers. With RCB sitting at the score of 70/1 after the first half of their innings, Faf and Kohli turned their foot on the gas pedal as their team managed to score the 150-run mark with four overs to spare.
It was Faf who perished at the hands of Arshdeep Singh after Shahrukh Khan took a blinder to get rid of the dangerous batter. However, the wicket did not serve as a blessing for Punjab as Dinesh Karthik carried on with the onslaught and dominated every bowler in the process.
While Kohli stayed unbeaten on 41, Karthik's late surge helped him reach a personal score of 32 off just 14 deliveries and took RCB to 205 runs.
Punjab Kings were off to a flyer aided by wayward bowling by the RCB bowlers inside the powerplay with a mountain to climb. Their skipper Mayank Agarwal along with experienced pro-Shikhar Dhawan, marched on the right path to chase the target.
However, Mayank lost his wicket at a crucial juncture as Shahbaz Ahmed took a diving catch off Wanindu Hasaranga's bowling. Sri Lanka's Bhanunka Rajapaksa played a good hand in his debut game and never let the scoring-rate rise. Rajapaksa and Dhawan went about their business with ease.
However, three wickets in quick succession broke the back of Punjab's middle order as they now relied on Shahrukh Khan and Odean Smith to help them cross the finish line. The two batters obliged the demand with Smith, mainly tonking Mohammed Siraj all over the park in the 18th over.
With only 11 required off the final two overs, Shahrukh smashed six and then a four, taking Punjab Kings beyond RCB's total and handing them a win by five wickets.
Brief scores
RCB - 205/2 (20)
Faf du Plessis 88 (57), Virat Kohli 41 (29);
Rahul Chahar 1/22
PBKS - 208/5 (19)
Bhanuka Rajapaksa 43 (22), Shikhar Dhawan 43 (29);
Harshal Patel 1/36
Punjab Kings won by five wickets.