Punjab Kings (PBKS) became the 3rd team to get eliminated in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 as they suffered a narrow 4 wicket loss at the hands of Rajasthan Royals (RR). The Shikhar Dhawan-led Punjab side have had a disappointing IPL season and they would have to go back to the drawing board and fix their problems.
Rajasthan had to chase down the total of 188 runs in 18.3 overs. They didn’t quite do that but they ensured that they get those 2 crucial points. Now they have to hope that Bangalore their last game by a fairly big margin.
It was the final game in Dharamshala and the crowd at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala enjoyed a lot. IPL came back to Dharamshala after a year and the electrifying atmosphere was simply superb.
The players fed off from the excitement and delivered the best for their respective franchises.
In this article, we take a look at the top 3 talking points of the PBKS vs RR game in Dharamshala:
1. Navdeep Saini’s spectacular comeback
The Indian pacer staged a fantastic comeback in the IPL and he ended up being the pick of the bowlers for the visitors. Saini bagged 3 wickets and returned with figures of 3/40 in this game.
Navdeep Saini dismissed Atharva Taide, Liam Livingstone and Jitesh Sharma. All these 3 players are in form and could have been lethal against the Royals. But Saini bowled beautifully and emerged as a hero for Rajasthan Royals.
2. Yashasvi Jaiswal scores a top-notch half-century for RR
After losing Jos Buttler for a duck, the onus was on Yashasvi Jaiswal to steer the Royals home. Just before this game for Rajasthan, their batting collapsed like nine pins against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on 14th May 2023 and they were bundled out for 59.
Yashasvi Jaiswal put on his shoes filled with maturity and stood tall against the troop of Punjab bowlers, waiting to gun him down. The 21-year-old batter mustered 50 runs in 36 balls. His knock was packed with 8 fours and he had a strike-rate of 138.89.
3. Devdutt Padikkal shines like a star
One of the most talented batters in the IPL, Devudutt Padikkal would finally be satisfied with his batting performance in this PBKS vs RR game. Coming in at number 3, Padikkal had his task cut out; he had to hold fort.
He scored a quick-fire knock of 51 runs in just 30 balls and played some eloquent shots. Devdutt Padikkal also smashed 3 sixes in his fiery knock.
Also read: IPL 2023: Sunil Gavaskar Lashes Out At Hyderabad Cricket Association For Poor Management
