IPL 2021 | KKR vs PBKS: What Experts Said after Shahrukh Khan plays vital role in keeping Punjab's hopes alive

Punjab Kings almost produced another nail-biter from a winning position against Kolkata Knight Riders. Captain KL Rahul gave away his wicket to Venkatesh Iyer on the second ball of the last over where they just needed 4 off the last five balls and it very murky for the Punjab based franchise. But thanks to Shahrukh Khan and Punjab’s luck, the right-hander managed to hit a maximum and take the team over the line by 5 wickets in Dubai. 

Shahrukh swung the bat with full force on a touch slower delivery from Iyer towards the deep mid wicket boundary and the Rahul Tripathy stationed at that crucial position dropped the catch while running to his left and parried it to the boundary. As they say, All's Well That Ends Well. Khan remained unbeaten at 22 off 9 deliveries.

But this prominent saying is only applicable for this game as far as Punjab Kings are concerned as the coaching manual has gone for a toss especially after the team management decided to bench Shahrukh in the second leg of the IPL 2021 before this clash. 

The Tamil Nadu batsman has the ability to get runs at a brisk pace and which is where PBKS have probably missed the trick. Well, they have now got a couple of important points and are placed at fifth spot with 10 points and two more matches to go. 

The Kolkata Knight Riders who were put into bat rode on a brilliant knock from Venkatesh Iyer who struck his second IPL fifty in 5 matches to put up 165/7. The left-hander notched up 67 off 49 before getting out while Nitish Rana chipped in with some crucial runs at a quick pace. He scored 18-ball 31 which included a couple of sixes and as many fours during the course.  

Arshdeep Singh scalped three wickets for 32 runs in 4 overs for PBKS while Shami and Ravi Bishnoi also returned with impressive figures. Shami picked up one wicket at the cost of 23 runs in 4 overs. On the other hand, the leggie bagged a two-fer for 22 runs in 4 overs. 

In reply, Rahul and his opening partner Mayank Agarwal began the proceedings in a steady manner and stitched a stand of 70 runs for the first wicket before Agarwal eventually departed for 40 off 27. 

Agarwal's dismissal saw wickets falling for Punjab at regular intervals and the side was reduced to 134/4. Rahul was then joined by Shahrukh in the middle and the two batters put up a partnership of 28 runs for the fifth wicket. Rahul was eventually out for 67 off 55. Varun Chakravarthy was the pick of the bowlers for KKR after he picked up 2 wickets for 24 runs in 4 overs. 

PBKS captain Rahul took a sigh of relief after his team stood on the winning podium despite getting themselves into a crunch situation. 

“I'll take the two points (heaves a huge sigh). We played it smartly. Realised it was a decent wicket and can't experiment too much. Went slightly defensive with the ball. Wasn't much spin. Wanted to make the batters hit to the bigger side. With the bat also we've given clear roles to players,” he said in the post-match presentation. 

KKR skipper Eoin Morgan put the onus of the defeat on bad fielding and said that dropping catches in the initial phase cost them the game. 

“Initially we didn't field that well, we put catches down, myself early and other guys, it has cost us. When the game gets that tight towards the end, extra few wickets down would have helped us,” he said. 

Experts’ Opinion

Journalist Ayaz Memon lauded Shahrukh Khan for hitting the winning six and lavished praise on KL Rahul for anchoring the side to a win. “Shahrukh’s pyrotechnics ensured PBKS wouldn’t fall behind on the asking run rate, but the team owes it to KL Rahul for anchoring the team to victory against odds,” he tweeted. 

Commentator Harsha Bhogle praised Shahrukh and the way he stitched his cameo against KKR. “Well, Shahrukh looks a serious player.....He won't be dropped again,” he wrote on Twitter. 

Former India bowler RP Singh hailed Rahul for playing a match-winning innings. “What a great news it will be for India if KL Rahul goes to World Cup with the Orange cap. Well done captain for leading from the front,” he tweeted. 

Former India opener Aakash Chopra too put his weight behind Shahrukh and said that the right-hander grabbed the opportunity that came his way. “PBKS paid ₹5.25 crore to acquire Shahrukh Khan. And to be honest, looked like someone with serious ball-striking skills in the first leg too. Interestingly, this was his first game in the UAE leg. Might not have played if Gayle was still around. An opportunity he’s grabbed,” Chopra wrote on Twitter. 

PBKS will now play RCB in Sharjah on Sunday while KKR will lock horns with SRH in Dubai on the same day.