Match Report:
Punjab Kings defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by seven runs on Duckworth Lewis method after heavy rain stopped the proceedings in their IPL season opener, here on Saturday. Batting first, Punjab Kings scored 191/5 riding on a half-century from Sri Lankan Bhanuka Rajapaksa, who smashed 50 off 32 balls and skipper Shikhar Dhawan, who contributed 40 from 29 deliveries.
In reply, KKR were 146 for 7 in 16 overs when heavens opened up. The DLS par score for KKR after losing seven wickets in 16 overs was 153 and they were seven runs short. The dismissal of dangerous Andre Russell (35 off 19 balls) in the 15th over by Sam Curran (1/38) and Arshdeep Singh removing Venkatesh Iyer (34 off 28 balls) in the very next over tilted the par score for Punjab Kings.
Brief Scores
Punjab Kings 191/5; 20 overs (Bhanuka Rajapaksa 50, Shikhar Dhawan 40; Tim Southee 2/54) b Kolkata Knight Riders 146/7; 16 overs (Andre Russell 35, Venkatesh Iyer 34; Arshdeep Singh 3/19) by seven runs on DLS Method.
Scoreboard: Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders
Kolkata Knight Riders:
Mandeep Singh c Sam Curran b Arshdeep Singh 2
Rahmanullah Gurbaz b Nathan Ellis 22
Anukul Roy c Raza b Arshdeep Singh 4
Venkatesh Iyer c Rahul Chahar b Arshdeep Singh 34
Nitish Rana c Rahul Chahar b Raza 24
Rinku Singh c Raza b Rahul Chahar 4
Andre Russell c Raza b Sam Curran 35
Shardul Thakur not out 8
Sunil Narine not out 7
Extras: (B-1, LB-2, W-1, NB-2) 6
Total: (For 7 wickets in 16 Overs) 146
Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-17, 3-29, 4-75, 5-80, 6-130, 7-138.
Bowling: Sam Curran 3-0-38-1 ,Arshdeep Singh 3-0-19-3, Nathan Ellis 3-0-27-1, Sikandar Raza 3-0-25-1, Rishi Dhawan 1-0-15-0, Rahul Chahar 2-0-12-1, Harpreet Brar 1-0-7-0.
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We are into the 16th over of the match and rain has stopped play between the two teams.
- Mandeep Singh (2) and Anukul Roy (4) were dismissed by Arshdeep Singh while Rahmanullah Gurbaz (22) went back to the hut after Nathan Ellis' delivery struck early.
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Mohali: Bhanuka Rajapaksa scored a fine fifty to help Punjab Kings post a challenging 191 for five against Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL here on Saturday. Rajapaksa hit five fours and two sixes in his 32-ball innings after his Punjab side were invited to bat.
Skipper Shikhar Dhawan was the other chief contributor as he added 40 off 29 balls. For KKR, pacer Tim Southee was the pick of the bowlers as he snared two wickets, giving away 54 runs in his quota of four overs.
Brief Scores:
Punjab Kings: 191 for 5 in 20 overs (Bhanuka Rajapaksa 50, Shikhar Dhawan 40; Tim Southee 2/54).
Scoreboard: Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders
Punjab Kings:
Prabhsimran Singh c Gurbaz b Southee 23
Shikhar Dhawan b Chakaravarthy 40
Bhanuka Rajapaksa c Rinku Singh b Umesh 50
Jitesh Sharma c Umesh b Southee 21
Sikandar Raza c Nitish Rana b Narine 16
Sam Curran not out 26
Shahrukh Khan not out 11
Extras: (LB-1, W-2, NB-1) 4
Total: (For 5 wickets in 20 Overs) 191
Fall of wickets: 1-23, 2-109, 3-135, 4-143, 5-168.
Bowling: Umesh Yadav 4-0-27-1, Tim Southee 4-0-54-2, Sunil Narine 4-0-40-1, Varun Chakravarthy 4-0-26-1, Shardul Thakur 4-0-43-0.
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- Punjab Kings have done all the hard yards and kickstarted their campaign on the right note with 100 runs in 10 overs. This would go a long way in building the confidence as the tournament beckons further. Prabhsimran Singh, who went early, didn't derail the team's batting and skipper Shikhar Dhawan (28) and Bhanuka Rajapaksa have steadied the innings so far.
- Punjab loses its first wicket at the score of 23 runs in Prabhsimran Singh, whose wicket was taken by New Zealand's Tim Southee.
Mohali: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Saturday won the toss and elected to field against Punjab Kings (PBKS) here at Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium.
At the toss, KKR captain Nitish Rana said, "We will bowl first, it has rained in the last two days so there would be some moisture. I am excited because very few people get this opportunity. It is a game of cricket so there is not much pressure. The impact players rule is in its initial stage. We have to see that the decisions we take prove to be right."
On the other hand, Shikhar Dhawan, Punjab's skipper said, "We would have fielded first. We have got a balanced side, so hopefully we will do good. The team preparation has been good and we will look to dominate the game, hoping for a great season ahead. We are eager to win the trophy and I am looking to lead from the front. My overseas players are - Bhanuka, Nathan Ellis, and Sam Curran."
Read: Gill sizzles as Titans begin IPL title defence with five-wicket win over CSK
Teams:
Punjab Kings (Playing XI): Shikhar Dhawan(c), Prabhsimran Singh(w), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jitesh Sharma, Shahrukh Khan, Sam Curran, Sikandar Raza, Nathan Ellis, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh
Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Mandeep Singh, Nitish Rana(c), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Shardul Thakur, Sunil Narine, Tim Southee, Anukul Roy, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy
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PREVIEW:
Injury-hit KKR, PBKS look to make positive start to IPL 2023
Mohali: Plagued by injuries and unavailability of a few foreign players, both Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders would still look to put their best foot forward as they lock horns in their opening IPL encounter here on Saturday. These are the two franchises, which over the years have flattered to deceive. Inconsistency in team selections seemed to have also affected the them badly.
While PBKS finished sixth, two-time champions KKR ended a rung below in the seventh spot in the 10-team competition last year. Both teams will be led by new skippers this season. While veteran Shikhar Dhawan will be at the helm of Punjab, domestic star Nitish Rana has replaced injured Shreyas Iyer as KKR captain. On paper, though, PBKS looks a tad more stronger than KKR. But Englishman Jonny Bairstow's absence will certainly leave a big void in Punjab's team composition.
Bairstow has been ruled out of the entire IPL as he continues to recover from a leg injury he had sustained while playing golf last September. In Bairstow's place, PBKS has roped in BBL's player-of-the-tournament this season, Matthew Short who is expected to open the batting along side Dhawan.
Other key PBKS players, who will miss Saturday's game are hard-hitting all-rounder Liam Livingstone, who is yet to get clearance from the ECB, following a knee injury, and South African Kagiso Rabada who is on national duty. PBKS squad is stacked with all-rounders, the most lethal among them being USD 2 million plus buy Sam Curran, who is more than handy with the bat and is a very fine death bowler.
Zimbabwe's Sikandar Raza is another utility all-rounder PBKS could bank upon. But they would depend on Dhawan and Short to provide consistency at the top. On the bowling front, PBKS would miss Rabada on Saturday and in his absence the onus would be on Arshdeep Singh, old guard Rishi Dhawan, Curran and leg-spinner Rahul Chahar to do the job.
The Mohali-based outfit would also rely on coach Trevor Bayliss' tactical nous to shed their tag of perennial underachievers during the season. PBKS has never won the IPL title in the last 15 years. The closest they came was a final appearance in 2014 and and semi-final defeat in the inaugural season.
For two-time champions KKR, new coach Chandrakant Pandit will be the key man as it is now an open secret that he along with Mumbai stalwart Abhishek Nayar are going to take all decisions from the dug-out and Rana's only job would be to implement them. KKR too have been hurt by injuries with regular skipper and batting mainstay Shreyas being almost ruled out of the tournament with a back problem.
The two Bangladeshis Shakib Al Hasan and Litton Das are also going to miss the opening game due to national commitments. KKR's strength too lies in the team's all-rounders with the likes of Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, David Weise, Vernkatesh Iyer and Shakib Al Hasan in their rank.
Even though both Tim Southee and Lockie Fergusson have joined the KKR squad, the latter is a doubtful starter on Saturday having injured his right hamstring last week. KKR's weakness lies in an unsettled top-order and it remains to be seen who will anchor the innings.
In Wiese, Rinku Singh and Afghan Rahmanullah Gurbaz, KKR have some terrific hard-hitters who can pull off a win on their given day. On the bowling front, Southee and Umesh Yadav will lead the attack in the company of Shardul Thakur, and Varun Chakravarthy. (Preview taken from PTI)
