Punjab Kings captain Mayank Agarwal showered praise on Arshdeep Singh and Kagiso Rabada after his team defeated Chennai Super Kings by 11 runs at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Monday. PBKS posted a par score of 187 runs after Jadeja won the toss and decided to bowl first.
Shikhar Dhawan played a key role in helping his team propel to a competitive score as he scored 88 runs from 59 balls. Furthermore, Bhanuka Rajapaksha scored a crucial knock of 42 runs and added 110 runs with Dhawan.
On the other hand, Chennai was kept in the run-chase by a brilliant knock of 78 runs from 39 balls by Ambati Rayudu. 70 runs were needed off the last five overs and PBKS had their noses in front.
However, Rayudu took 23 runs of Sandeep Sharma’s over to tilt the game in the balance. 47 were then required of the last four overs but Arshdeep Singh and Kagiso Rabada were brilliant in the death overs. Singh conceded six runs in the 17th over and Rabada followed suit and the South African pacer also dismissed the dangerous Ambati Rayudu.
Singh then gave away only eight runs in the penultimate over to leave 27 runs for Rishi Dhawan. The Himachal Pradesh captain, who had recently led his team to glory in the Vijay Hazare Trophy was able to keep his nerves despite conceding a first-ball six against MS Dhoni.
Rabada and Singh were instrumental in their team’s win as they conceded only 20 runs in the last three overs they bowled.
Mayank Agarwal said in the post-match presentation, “We would like to win a few tosses, we have just won one. I thought Arsh bowled exceedingly well, he has bowled the tough overs, and he has been great for us. Even Rabada bowled well, to get Ruturaj and get Rayudu at that stage. These two have been great for us. As a team, we have to think about being smart. You want your opposition to play towards the longer side as much as they can. As a batter even if you mishit the balls, you’ll get the result against the shorter boundary. Those moments get the better out of you. It is important to carry the momentum. We have won one, but we need to win two or three on the bounce.”
PBKS returned back to winning ways after losing their previous two matches. The Mayank Agarwal-led team will next face Lucknow Super Giants at the MCA, Pune on Friday.
