KKR vs PBKS: Credit to Arshdeep Singh for taking sport to closing ball, says captain Shikhar Dhawan

By India Today Sports Desk: PBKS captain Shikhar Dhawan heaped reward on Arshdeep Singh for taking the IPL 2023 match to the ultimate ball in direction of KKR on the Eden Gardens on Monday, May 8.

Punjab Kings went down in direction of Kolkata Knight Riders by 5 wickets inside the final-over drama. Dhawan said that fast bowler Arshdeep displayed good effort when KKR needed six from final over.

KKR vs PBKS Highlights | IPL 2023 Points Table

“Feels bad, of course not feeling great. Not an easy track to bat on, in the end they played well. It was a great effort from Arshdeep, the way he has bounced back from the last game. All credit to him that he took the game to the last ball,” Dhawan knowledgeable broadcaster after the match.

Dhawan moreover rued that PBKS wouldn’t have a “good off-spinner” to stop the leakage of runs in direction of left-handers.

“I feel we don’t have a good off-spinner, that is where we are leaking a bit of runs when left-handers come in. This wicket was offering turn as well, that is where we took the hit,” Dhawan said.

Prabhsimran Singh’s boundary current handed Punjab Kings a flying start after PBKS opted to bat. Harshit Rana struck twice in quick succession to remove Prabhsimran and Bhanuka Rajapaksa, who returned after closing having fun with on April 13.

Shikhar Dhawan, nonetheless, continued to battle to convey employees’s fifty contained within the powerplay. Dhawan moreover launched up his fifty and have turn out to be the third batter to complete a half-century of fifties after David Warner and Virat Kohli. KKR spinners turned throughout the desk as they started to strangle PBKS inside the middle overs.

Towards the tip, Shahrukh Khan and Harpreet Brar’s late cameos, which combined seen two sixes and 5 boundaries, lifted PBKS to a aggressive full of 179/7. For KKR, Varun Chakravarthy picked three wickets, Harshit Rana took two, and Suyash Sharma and Nitish Rana returned with one each.

In reply, Jason Roy and Rahmanullah Gurbaz acquired right here all weapons blazing for KKR. Nathan Ellis and Harpreet Brar utilized breaks on KKR’s ticking scoreboard by eradicating the openers in quick succession. KKR captain Nitish Rana hit an vital fifty to take care of KKR’s hopes alive. However, rapidly after hitting a fifty, Rana made a protracted stroll once more to the dugout as Rahul Chahar eliminated him.

Andre Russell rose to the occasion and carried out a quickfire knock of 42 off 23. The match acquired right here all the way in which right down to the ultimate ball of the match and Rinku Singh hit a boundary off Arshdeep Singh to take KKR dwelling.