PBKS vs RCB, 3rd Match Live: Royal Challengers Bangalore face Punjab Kings on Sunday evening in the first double head of the 15th season of the Indian Premier League. Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium Both the teams would like to start their tournament with a win.
Bangalore managed to score 205 for 2 in 20 overs on the back of captain du Plessis’s blistering half-century and Karthik’s fast batsman. On the basis of the stormy innings played at the end of Odin Smith, Punjab registered a victory at 208 for 5 in 19 overs.
Stunning victory for Punjab:
Chasing the huge score made by RCB, the pair of captain Mayank Agarwal and experienced Shikhar Dhawan came out to open the innings. Both these batsmen took the team past fifty runs in just the 5th over. In the powerplay, Mayank and Dhawan added 63 runs for the team without losing a wicket. Vanindu Hasaranga took the wicket as soon as he came off the first ball of his first over. On the score of 32 runs to Mayank, Shahbaz took a brilliant catch and sent him back.
Shikhar Dhawan’s innings of 41 runs off 29 balls was ended by Harshal Patel being caught by Anuj Rawat. Bhanuka Rajapakse, who was batting with a bang, was caught by Mohammad Siraj at the hands of Shahbaz. He returned after scoring 43 runs off 22 balls with the help of 4 sixes and 2 fours. Just after this, Under 19 star Raj Bawa got lbw on the very next ball. Akashdeep, who was playing fast innings, was caught by Anuj Rawat in the hands of Anuj Rawat.
Bangalore’s big score, captain’s half-century:
After losing the toss, young Anuj Rawat came out to open the innings along with captain Faf du Plessis for Bangalore who came to bat first. Both the batsmen added 41 runs for the team without losing a wicket in the powerplay. This included 19 runs from Rawat and 10 runs from Du Plessis, while 12 runs got to the team in the form of extras. In his very first over, Rahul Chahar gave Punjab the first success by clean bowling Rawat on the score of 21 runs.
After a slow start, du Plessis completed his fifty off 41 balls with strong shots. During this, the captain hit 3 sixes and 2 fours. Taking the news of the bowlers together, both of them completed the century partnership in a bang style.
He was dismissed after playing an innings of 88 runs off 57 balls with the help of 3 fours and 7 sixes. Shahrukh took his brilliant catch off Arshdeep’s ball. In the end, Dinesh Karthik scored an unbeaten 32 off 14 balls with the help of 3 sixes and 3 fours to take the team past 200 runs. Kohli scored 41 not out off 29 balls with the help of 1 four and 2 sixes.
Both the teams are going to play in the season with the new captain. Punjab captain Mayank Agarwal won the toss and decided to bowl first against Bangalore.
RCB playing XI:
Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Anuj Rawat, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Sherfan Rutherford, Shahbaz Ahmed, Vanindu Hasaranga, David Willey, Harshal Patel, Akash Deep, Mohammad Siraj
Punjab Kings playing XI:
Mayank Agarwal (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, Bhanuka Rajapaksa (wk), Shah Rukh Khan, Odin Smith, Raj Bawa, Arshdeep Singh, Harpreet Brar, Sandeep Sharma, Rahul Chahar
For the first time in this tournament, Virat Kohli will play only one player for the RCB team. He had taken the decision to step down from the captaincy in the last season itself. His last season star Glenn Maxwell will not play for Bangalore. At the same time, Jose Hazlewood will also not be able to play the first few matches due to national duty.