IPL 2021: Turning point of the match between PBKS vs RR

In the past, Punjab Kings have lost some games which they should have won. But, on Tuesday, September 21, 2021, they witnessed a loss that would remain quite memorable for the fans for a very long time. The loss left several fans shocked, as much as it left the Punjab Kings dugout. 

The day started well for Punjab Kings as their skipper KL Rahul won the toss and elected to field first. There was a bit of grass but his bowlers failed to use it to their advantage early on. The Royals raced past 50 inside the powerplay. Evin Lewis made a quick 36 while his young opening partner Yashaswi Jaiswal missed out on a deserving half-century by just a run. 

Mahipal Lomror made 43 runs in 17 balls to bring back the Royals in the match. After 16 overs, they were well-placed on 164 for 4. In the last four overs, they scored only 21 runs and also lost six wickets. Punjab Kings were given a target of 186. For most of the time in the innings, it seemed that they would be able to finish the target within 16 or 17 overs. 

Mustafizur Rahman gave only four runs in the 19th over, before Kartik Tyagi took over

For a long time, commentators kept discussing that Punjab can look to accelerate and finish this game early. The opening partnership was 120 runs. While both the openers, Rahul (49 runs) and Mayank Agarwal (67 runs) were dismissed in quick succession, Nicholas Pooran and Aiden Markram were looking set to finish the job early. 

With 8 runs needed off just 12 balls, Mustafizur Rahman produced a good over. He gave only four runs. Even though it was a sensational over, no one would have thought that the match had another twist. In walks our hero of the turning point story, Kartik Tyagi. He had impressed everyone in the U19 World Cup 2020 with pace but was yet to make a mark in the IPL. 

With four runs required, he bowled and got a yorker right. Dot. Another full ball saw the equation come down to 3 off 4. This is when he got Pooran out to get the adrenaline pumping. Deepak Hooda walked out. Seeing him standing exposing his leg stump, Tyagi bowled a wide yorker. Nailed it and got a dot ball. New ball another yorker, only this time Hooda had edged it to Sanju Samson. 

The last ball was another yorker. This meant Punjab scored only a run in the last over, giving Rajasthan a two-run heist. Markram watched from the end as the Royals’ team flooded the ground in celebration of an unthinkable win. Tyagi, fittingly, was given the man of the match award.