IPL 2022: Match 3, PBKS vs RCB – Who Said What

The Punjab Kings got the better of the Royal Challengers Bangalore by five wickets in the third game of IPL 2022 at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on March 27. The high-scoring encounter saw batters of both sides showcase an amazing display on the 22 yards as this game witnessed the first-ever score in excess of 200 in this season’s IPL.

The best part for the Bengaluru-based franchise is that not only did Virat Kohli roar back to form but their new skipper Faf du Plessis also created a good first impression by making his bat do the talking with a quickfire 88 runs off just 57 deliveries. He was involved in a 118-run second-wicket stand with Kohli, who scored 41 runs from 29 balls. A cameo knock of an unbeaten 14-ball 32 towards the end from Dinesh Karthik propelled RCB to 205/2 from their 20 overs.

Shahrukh Khan, Odean Smith help PBKS to victory

In reply, Punjab Kings got off to a brisk start as skipper Mayank Agarwal and Shikhar Dhawan added 71 runs for the opening stand. Agarwal scored 32 runs off 24 deliveries while Dhawan scored a quickfire 29-ball 43. Sri Lankan wicketkeeper-batter Bhanuka Rajapakha also scored a vital 43 before being dismissed.

When Liam Livingstone was sent back, the middle-order duo of Shahrukh Khan and Odean Smith ensured that there were no further hiccups as they helped PBKS get past the finish line with an over to spare. Shahrukh remained unbeaten on 24 off 20 deliveries while Smith was not out on 25 off just eight balls.

Losing skipper, Faf du Plessis said:

“I think the batting was really good. The catches towards the end. Odean Smith 25 off 8 balls. I think we probably dropped him on 10. After that, we are looking at some tailenders coming in. The cliche of catches win watches. There was a bit of dew out there, a tough night for the bowlers, but I thought they were pretty decent with the wet ball. Small margins, but they chased it down really well. They had a really good powerplay. The ball skidded on a bit more in the second innings and then we pulled it back beautifully. We did a lot of good things in the middle. But you know what Odean Smith can do to you. So you got to hold on to those chances. Even the other guy, Shahrukh Khan, didn’t really nail it tonight until the last couple of balls. So a completely different game if you hold on to those chances. I am tired! That First innings running, ohh (smiles). I am just glad I got away without injuring myself because I spent so much time on my elbows diving. It was tough to start with the bat today. The first four overs the ball was swinging, I was 1 off 10 I guess. Clutching the bat a bit hard but pleasing to get through it”.

Winning skipper, Mayank Agarwal said:

“Two points for us is very important. Good wicket. Very good wicket as both sides scored 200 plus. One or two balls held up but nothing apart from that. Credit to the way we finished. We took the right chances and am glad it came off. I think we gave them 15-20 more. Virat and Faf took the game away from us but credit to our batters to chase this down. 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”.

Player of the Match, Odean Smith said:

“We were stressing on having a good start. We just needed to have that belief. Didn’t go so well with the bowling. I need to work on a few things. Batting was good as I helped my team to win. It was all about execution and I couldn’t and that’s why it went haywire. Punjab hasn’t won the title so far but we need to have the belief. We watched ’14 peaks’, 13 remain for us”.