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IPL 2021 | PBKS vs RR: What Experts said after a dramatic last ball victory for Punjab Kings

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Fortunes fluctuated from one side to the other but in the end, a young Arshdeep Singh held his nerves and delivered a killer punch in the final over of the match as Punjab Kings sealed a nerve-wracking victory by just 4 runs in the 4th match of Vivo IPL 14. A sensational Sanju Samson century went in vain as RR fell agonisingly close to the victory target of 222, managing to score 217. 


Chasing a stiff target of 222 was always going to be a tough ask for the Rajasthan Royals. Ben Stokes needed to play a vital role if they harboured hopes of getting anywhere close but his dismissal in the opening over firmly put them on the backfoot. Manan Vohra also fell quickly after playing a few brilliant shots but Sanju Samson had different ideas. 


His partnership of 53 runs with Shivam Dube slowly got them back into the game and his partnership with Riyan Parag was the game-changer. Parag played a breezy knock of 25 that came in just 11 deliveries and that paved way for a dramatic comeback. 


Samson rode his luck and went onto become the first-ever debutant skipper to score an IPL century. He took Jhye Richardson apart in the 18th over where he collected 19 runs in the over which tilted the scales in Rajasthan’s favour. Eventually, with 5 required off the last two deliveries, Samson refused a single to Chris Morris which turned out to be a game-changing moment as Samson didn’t manage to smash the required boundary and was holed out in the deep. 


Earlier in the day, it was some incredible batting from Punjab Kings which took them to a mammoth total of 221 runs. Following the loss of Mayank Agarwal, it was Chris Gayle and Rahul who smashed the bowlers around before Depak Hooda took the onus on himself to take Punjab to a position of strength. His quickfire knock of 64 of just 28 runs set the pace for Punjab. Eventually a fantastic final over from youngster Chetan Sakaria stopped Punjab from going beyond the 230 mark. 


Captain’s Viewpoint


Following a dramatic contest, both the captains expressed their views on the encounter. Rahul stated that he believed in his team and knew that a few wickets will bring them back into the game. He also rued the missed opportunities which might have helped them seal the match way early. 


“ I didn't stop believing in the team, and we knew a couple of wickets will bring us back. The game went deep only because me included, we dropped some sitters. We bowled well until about 11-12 overs. We're used to this, and it's not something new for us, but a win like this brings the team together. We batted really well and bowled well in patches. 


We weren't consistent with the lengths but the bowlers will learn. A lot of talented, skilful players, and it's important that we back them. It was an amazing innings from Hooda, and that's the kind of fearless batting we want to see in the IPL,” Rahul said. 


He added the fact that tentativeness on certain occasions have been a huge drawback for them and they need to play fearlessly. He lauded the efforts of Chris Gayle and Deepak Hooda who along with Rahul batted brilliantly to set the foundation for the rest of the innings. 


“We have been tentative sometimes, and it's important for us to play fearlessly at times, so I am happy that the expectations are being understood and met. Gayle and Hooda were both good that way. I always go to Arshdeep for crucial overs and he enjoys the pressure. He loves being in the contest and I love throwing him the ball, and he trusts himself and trusts his skills, so that's always good to see,” Rahul added. 


Sanju Samson rued the missed opportunity. He also finished it off for Rajasthan Royal but eventually fell in the final hurdle. 


“I don't have words to explain my feelings. Would have loved to finish it off for my team. I don't think I could have done better than that. I thought I timed it well for a six but somehow... Catches go down and good catches were also taken. It's part of the game,” Samson said. 


Expert Opinion 


Several experts gave their viewpoint on the game. Everyone hailed the incredible innings by Sanju Samson besides garnering praises for other youngsters like Arshdeep Singh and Chetan Sakaria. 



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IPL 2021 | KKR vs MI - Can KKR turn their fortunes around against formidable MI

Mumbai Indians were head and shoulders above any other teams in the previous edition of the Indian Premier League. Over the years, they have been the most successful IPL team having won the titles 5 times. Their head to head record against all the IPL teams is quite staggering but more so against the Kolkata Knight Riders. KKR have never managed to get a hold of the five-time champions and have lost 21 of the 27 matches played against them. While Mumbai Indians started off their campaign on expected notes losing the curtain-raiser against Royal Challengers Bangalore, KKR had a perfect start to their campaign winning against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. KKR looked a settled unit and with Eoin Morgan handling the reigns from the start, the gold and purple brigade will look to turn their fortunes this time around. Two of the most popular teams in the competition, Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders will lock horns against each other in the 5th match of the tournament at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Tuesday. While MI clearly looks a more balanced side than KKR, one cannot take KKR lightly especially with some of their value-addition in the team. MI skipper Rohit Sharma was handcuffed in the opening encounter and was forced to bowl only 5 overs Boult and Chahar going for runs. Hardik Pandya’s workload management has meant that he won’t bowl regularly during the course of the tournament. Quinton de Kock will be eligible to play tomorrow but it will be interesting to see whether Lynn is retained especially after his impressive knock of 49 in the opening encounter. KKR on the other hand looked a settled unit with the top order coming good. Shubman Gill didn’t score much but was involved in a half-century partnership with Nitish Rana. The southpaw was magnificent and his innings proved to be the difference in the end. Rahul Tripathi also smashed a quickfire half-century and his partnership with Rana proved to be crucial in the context of the game. Even in the bowling department, KKR bagged wickets when it mattered the most and they should look to take the confidence into the match against MI. Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders: Match Details Match Number-05 Date and Time: April 13, 07:30 pm IST, 02: 00 PM GMT Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium Broadcast and Live Stream; Star Sports and Hotstar Strengths and Weaknesses Kolkata Knight Riders The inclusion of players like Shakib Al Hasan and Ben Cutting has lent a perfect balance which KKR need to turn their fortunes around. The top order also looked very settled in the opening encounter but the likes of Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill and Rahul Tripathi should look to bring some sort of consistency to their game. Gill is a world-class player, no doubt about that but his strike rate has been a reason of concern for KKR and it will be interesting to see how Gill approaches the game especially if KKR loses some early wickets. The middle-order looks sorted with the likes of Eoin Morgan and Dinesh Karthik looking to provide solidity. Given the game situation, the batting order will be shuffled and the dangerous Andre Russell’s form will be crucial to KKR’s chances in the tournament. Russell started off quite meekly giving his wicket away to Rashid Khan. He will look to create the same sort of magic which he did in the 2019 edition. The fast bowling cartel is a mix of youth and experience with Pat Cummins leading the way. Lockie Ferguson is also part of the squad and will be used in some phase of the tournament. Youngsters like Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi and Prasidh Krishna who recently made his ODI debut for India provides a good balance. The spin department oozes classes with likes of Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sunil Narine, Shakib Al Hasan, Pawan Negi and Harbhajan Singh. The evident weakness might be the lack of experience in certain areas of the game. Barring a Pat Cummins, the pace bowling department lacks experience. They had a tendency to goof up midway through the tournament and the individual contributions must come in a more consistent manner. Strongest XI Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan, Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik, Shakib Al Hasan, Pat Cummins, Harbhajan Singh, Varun Chakravarthy Prasidh Krishna Mumbai Indians The defending champions have no clear weakness and looks like the team to beat even in this edition of the tournament. After winning the last two tournaments, MI will look to make a hat-trick of titles and the dream seems very realistic especially with the sort of team they have. Starting from the top order to the middle order to the all-rounders and to the bowlers, they have all their bases covered and will certainly look to continue their sensational run against the Kolkata Knight Riders. The pace bowling duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult is arguably the best in the tournament and their form will be crucial for the five-time champions. Strongest XI Chris Lynn/Quinton de Kock, Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Marco Jansen, Jasprit Bumrah. Pitch Report A slow wicket was on display in the first game between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore. The expected dew wasn’t there as Chennai isn’t as humid as it is in the later parts of the year. With dew neglected, the ball is gripping and coming slower to the bat, making it difficult to play through shots. A similar wicket is expected for the next game as well. Weather and Toss With temperatures between 30-32 degree celsius and intermittent clouds hovering over the MA Chidambaram, dew would again be out of consideration. This makes the toss all the more relevant as choosing to chase becomes difficult. But T20 logic says that one must choose to chase no matter what. It will be interesting to see the decision making on the part of the captains. Dream11/ Fantasy XI Ishan Kishan, Dinesh Karthik (Wicket-keepers) Nitish Rana, Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (Batsmen) Shakib Al Hasan, Hardik Pandya (All-rounders) Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, Varun Chakravarthy (Bowlers)

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Watch: Rohit Sharma takes on Jasprit Bumrah in an epic clash at the Mumbai nets

Mumbai Indians are equipped with two of the most lethal players in white-ball cricket, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah. The fans generally don’t get to see the two players up against each other but MI provided them with something of similar sorts in a video released by the franchise. In the video posted by MI on their social media, Rohit is facing some express pace from Bumrah. While the right-arm pacer is seen unveiling some good fast bowling, the MI captain is hitting some good strokes. MI who are the five-time and reigning IPL champions began this edition’s proceedings on a disappointing note after losing the opener against RCB. The Virat Kohli-led side chased down a target of 160 runs by two wickets in a close encounter in Chennai. Mumbai Indians who batted first managed to put 159/9 in 20 overs on the board. Chris Lynn finally made his debut for MI in this match scored 49 while Suryakumar Yadav notched up 31 runs during the course. For RCB, it was Harshal Patel who was the pick of the bowlers. The right-armer scalped a fifer to become the first bowler to achieve the feat against MI in the IPL. Later, the Bangalore franchise started the proceedings in a decent manner but a flurry of wickets in the middle overs pushed them on the backfoot before AB de Villiers came in for the rescue. ABD struck 48 off 27 to get RCB back on track. They needed one run off the last ball and went over the line eventually. MI will now face KKR on Tuesday in Chennai while RCb will lock horns with SRH on Wednesday at the same venue.

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IPL 2021: Anil Kumble excited to have good foreign bowlers in PKBS set-up

The Director of Cricket Operations at Punjab Kings, Anil Kumble is pleased with the fact that the newly named franchise has managed to make some value additions in the bowling department. During the player’s auction held in February earlier this year, Punjab Kings bagged the services of Australian speedsters Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith. Punjab Kings start their IPL 14 campaign against the Rajasthan Royals on Monday at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Anil Kumble expressed his eagerness to start off with a win under their belt which would set them in nice rhythm through the course of the tournament. "Rajasthan Royals are a very good side, they have really some big hitters in their team, we need to be aware of that. Obviously, we want to start with a win, last year we came real close to win the first game but this time around we want to cross that line. " Kumble said. Stressing on the importance of the pace battery he further added, "The important aspect for us was to get foreign firepower in the bowling department and I am really glad that we have got Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith backing Chris Jordon. I am really happy with the options we have." Meanwhile, Kumble also stated that they have added a mental conditioning coach to look after the welfare of the players. Life in the bio-bubble is never easy. The players are always confined to hotel rooms and lobbies and are not allowed to roam outside. Hence it is important for a mental conditioning coach to take care of the players. "It's been really good, the last couple of weeks. It feels as though just the extension of Dubai, it does not feel like that I have been away from the team for that long. So overall we have had really good intense sessions over the last two weeks. We had some simulations done, match simulation scenarios, and practiced really hard. We have also included a mental conditioning coach who is coming into the squad. I think that is important," said Kumble. Punjab Kings (formerly Kings XI Punjab) are yet to win an IPL trophy to date. Their best performance came in 2014 when they qualified for the final for the first and the only time only to lose against the eventual champions Kolkata Knight Riders. Last year, Punjab finished at 6t​​​​​h place despite playing some terrific cricket especially mid-way through the season.