An all-round performance by Harpreet Brar with bat and ball helped Punjab Kings register their third win of IPL 2021. The young guns were the heroes for Kings as even Ravi Bishnoi scalped key wickets along with a stunning catch to change the game on his head. A few lusty blows in the end by RCB batsman allowed them to bring the runs down. The loss has also exposed the weakness of the RCB middle order which remained untested till now. A good 31 off 13 for Harshal, Patel was a saving grace. Quite the perfect match this for the Punjab Kings, their defence was perfect forcing RCB to make errors.
Earlier, Gayle fired with the bat before KL Rahul changed gears in the death overs to steer Punjab Kings to 179/5 in the allotted 20 overs. In the last four overs, Punjab Kings scored 53 runs with 22 coming in the final six balls as Rahul and Harpreet Brar ensured the side finished the innings on a high. Mohammed Siraj gave just seven runs in the penultimate over but Rahul and Harpreet smashed 22 runs off Harshal Patel's final over as Punjab Kings got close to 180. Put in to bat first, Punjab Kings got off to a slow start but things soon fell into place Chris Gayle, who came into bat at number three and hammered five fours in the sixth over to take his side to 49-1 at the end of the powerplay. Punjab Kings' middle-ordern collapsed when Shahrukh Khan bowled for a duck reducing the side to 118/5. But Rahul and Harpreet Brar took on RCB bowlers and reached the 150-run mark at the end of 18 overs. In the final over, Punjab Kings scored 22 runs to get close to 180.
