Marcus Stoinis came to the party after finally getting a proper opportunity to bat at 5. In the first few games, Marcus Stoinis hardly got to bat on, but now he was on fire and finished things off against RR. Prabhsimran Singh played well for his 59 off 44 balls and others chipped in as PBKS put in a strong performance to post a competitive 222/4 in 20 overs. RR bowlers bowled decently and now need the batters to finish the job on a good pitch.
PBKS gets off to a solid start in the power play
Put into bat first, Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh came out to bat for PBKS while Jofra Archer had the ball in hand for RR. Prabhsimran made his intentions clear as he cleared the front leg and went back in the crease to smash the upper cut over point for a boundary. Archer gave away 4 leg byes as a gift to the batting side. Nandre Burger had the ball in hand from the other end.
Arya got into the act as he hung back and played a powerful pull shot past midwicket for a boundary. Arya took him on and went inside out over extra covers for the maximum. Arya was on a roll as he now took on Burger over backward point for a boundary. Burger managed to get an outside edge that flew between the keeper and short third man for a boundary.
Archer continued as Arya got the thick outside edge that flew to the left of Jurel for a boundary with no slip involved. Arya got another outside edge that went through the hands of Jaiswal at first slip and away to the third man fence for a boundary. Archer finally had the last laugh as he removed the dangerous Arya for 29 off 11 balls with 5 fours and one six to his name as he miscued the ball to mid-on where Burger made no mistake. Cooper Connolly came to the crease next.
Burger continued as Prabhsimran smashed the ball down the ground past the bowler splitting mid-on and mid-off for a boundary. Prabhsimran again smashed across the line past short midwicket for a boundary. Brijesh Sharma came into the attack next. The 50 came up for PBKS in 4.4 overs. But Brijesh bowled a tight first over. Nandre Burger continued to bowl the last over of the power play.
Prabhsimran took on Burger and launched a pick up shot and went over deep backward square leg for the maximum. Connolly got into the act as he got on the front foot and drove the ball over mid-off as the ball went away to the fence for a boundary to end the over and the power play, At the end of the power play, PBKS were 65/1 in 6 overs with Prabhsimran unbeaten on 25 off 19 balls alongside Cooper Connolly unbeaten on 6 off 6 balls.
Cooper Connolly & Prabhsimran Singh falls as RR chips away at the wickets to keep the scoring under check
Yash Punja came into the attack post the power play. Connolly took on Yash as he cleared his front leg to pull but got a top edge straight down the ground just clearing Archer at long-on for the maximum. Connolly took on the short ball and hung back to swing across the line to clear midwicket for the maximum. The Time Out was taken at the end of 7 overs with the score at 80/1. Ravindra Jadeja came into the attack next.
Connolly took him on as he thumped him down the ground over straight long-on for the maximum. He then threw his hands at it and sliced it right in the gap between backward point and short third man for a boundary. Yash Punja continued and he provided the breakthrough for the Royals getting rid of Connolly for 30 off 14 balls with 2 fours and 3 sixes to his name as the slog was hit up in the air as Donovan Ferreira took an easy catch. Captain Shreyas Iyer walked out to bat and survived a LBW call as RR wasted a DRS on him.
Prabhsimran took advantage of a poor ball as he got underneath it and got it over short fine leg for a boundary. The 100 came up for PBKS in 9 overs. Ravindra Jadeja continued and bowled a better over as PBKS were 107/2 in 10 overs at the halfway stage of the contest. Archer came back into the attack as Prabhsimran Singh sat deep in his crease and opened up his stance to pull the ball but got a top edge over the keeper for a boundary.
Singh once again hit Archer as he shimmied down the wicket and made some room and lifted it over mid-off for a boundary. Jadeja continued as Prabhsimran got to his fifty in 35 balls as he got his 11th IPL fifty. Jadeja conceded 4 byes to the batting side as a bonus. Brijesh Sharma came back into the attack and he bowled a good over. Yash Punja came back into the attack. Shreyas broke the shackles as he hit a clean hit over midwicket for the maximum. Punja had the last laugh in the end as he removed Prabhsimran the set batter for 59 off 44 balls with 6 fours and one six to his name as the miscue shot was taken easily by Parag at covers.
Marcus Stoinis came out to bat next. Jadeja changed ends and came to bowl his final over. He bowled a good over to end his spell. 150 came up for PBKS. At the end of 15 overs, PBKS were 150/3 in 15 overs with Iyer unbeaten on 21 off 18 balls while Stoinis was unbeaten on 2 off 3 balls. Jadeja finished his spell with figures of 0/32 in 4 overs. The game was in the balance at this stage of the game.
Marcus Stoinis’ fiery unbeaten half-century powers PBKS to 222/4 in 20 overs
Yash Punja came to bowl his final over. Stoinis took on Yash as he rocked back and pulled it away over midwicket for the maximum. PBKS were 160/3 in 16 overs as we paused for the final Strategic Time Out of the innings. Brijesh Sharma came back into the attack as Shreyas hammered it away past extra covers for boundary. Burger returned as Stoinis took him on and pumped it over long-on for the maximum as Burger got past 50 in 3.2 overs of his bowling.
Stoinis slogged it off the inner half of the bat past long-on for a boundary and deep midwicket region. Burger finished with a wicket to his name as he dismissed captain Iyer for 30 off 27 balls with one four and one six to his name as the change of pace did it for the pace bowler. Jurel took the catch easily. Suryansh Shedge came out to bat next.
Archer came to bowl the 19th over as Stoinis took him on as he whacked the ball with a pull over deep midwicket for the maximum. Stoinis was on a roll as he then stayed deep in his crease and cleared his front leg and clubbed it over the bowler’s head for the maximum. 17 runs came off the 19th over. Brijesh came to bowl the final over of the innings.
Marcus Stoinis got a streaky boundary away as he swung his bat across the line and the inside edge beat short fine leg for a boundary as the 200 came up for Punjab Kings in 19.2 overs. Marcus Stoinis went bang as the low full toss as the batter stayed deep in the crease and cleared his front leg to go over wide long-on for the maximum. Marcus Stoinis went big again as he hit the juicy full toss with a heave over deep midwicket for the maximum. Stoinis reached his fifty in 20 balls.
Marcus Stoinis then shuffled across the stumps and thrashed it powerfully through extra cover for a boundary. Stoinis finished things off in style as the low full toss around the off-stump was hit away as Stoinis shuffled across the stumps and swung away from the inner half of the bat past backward square leg fielder for a boundary. 24 runs came off the final over as PBKS finished with 222/4 in 20 overs. Marcus Stoinis was unbeaten on 62 off 22 balls with 4 fours and 6 sixes to his name while Shedge was unbeaten on 3 off 2 balls. 9 extras given by the fielding side.
For RR bowling point of view, they bowled decently. Yash Punja finished with figures of 2/41 in 4 overs. Jofra Archer finished with 1/40 in 4 overs. Nandre Burger finished with 1/59 in 4 overs. Ravindra Jadeja finished with decent figures of 0/32 in 4 overs. Brijesh Sharma finished with 0/42 in 4 overs. So, this means the target for RR was 223 in 20 overs.
Who’s Winning, PBKS or RR?Â
PBKS have got the runs on the board. 222 is a good healthy score. RR needs to bat well to get these runs. The pitch is good to bat on. RR needs Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal to come good and fire for their side. If PBKS gets early wickets, RR will feel the pinch and the pressure of the run rate on the middle order will be huge. The game is in the balance.
Let’s see how things unfold in the second half of the innings.
Also Read:Â PBKS vs RR: RR Seek Turn Around Against Table Toppers PBKS