Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer’s decision to bat first after winning the toss spectacularly misfired, as the home side crumbled under pressure. Apart from openers Priyansh Arya (22) and Prabhsimran Singh (30), none of the batters showed the application or composure needed on their home track
Only three other batters, Nehal Wadhera (10), Shashank Singh (18), and Xavier Bartlett (11), managed to reach double figures, as PBKS’ innings was marred by poor shot selection and reckless batting
Harshit Rana (3/25) was the standout performer with the ball, while Varun Chakaravarthy (2/21) and Sunil Narine (2/14) provided stellar support with two wickets apiece
Arya, who recently stunned with a century against Chennai Super Kings, began confidently by smashing two boundaries off Anrich Nortje in the second over. Prabhsimran Singh followed suit, taking 20 runs off Vaibhav Arora in the next over, including a six and two fours.
Rana, however, brought the momentum to a screeching halt. Despite being struck for a six by Arya, he dismissed the aggressive opener soon after, with Ramandeep Singh taking a smart catch in the deep
KKR's bowlers applied the squeeze with Glenn Maxwell and Nehal Wadhera struggling to find any rhythm. Nortje returned to dismiss Wadhera in the ninth over, deepening Punjab’s woes. Maxwell’s lean patch continued as he fell for 7 to Chakaravarthy in the 10th over. By the halfway stage, the Kings were tottering at 80/6
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