PBKS vs RR – Who won yesterday’s IPL match: On a flat deck at the Wankhede, RR skipper Samson won the toss and opted to field. Agarwal was dismissed early in the innings by Chetan Sakariya and Gayle joined hands with KL Rahul at the crease. Both the players took some time to settle but switched gears after the powerplay.
Gayle could not convert his start and fell to part-timer Riyan Parag while trying to blast the ball over long-on. Hooda was promoted ahead of Pooran with a view to target the two leg spinners. The move paid off as Gopal was hit mercilessly whenever he pitched the ball up looking for a wicket. KL Rahul also accelerated from the other end by scoring timely boundaries.
Samson tried to change things by introducing Dube but Hooda hit him for two sixes, including a brilliant hit over extra cover. Hooda departed after a blistering half-century but the fireworks continued from the other end. KL Rahul upped the ante during the death overs but fell eight short of a well deserved century.
PBKS vs RR: Samson’s century in vain as Kings triumph
Chasing an almost improbable 221, the Royals got off to the worst possible start by losing Ben Stokes early. Vohra departed soon but Jos Buttler changed the momentum of the chase by hitting Meredith for four consecutive boundaries. A wonderfully executed slow yorker from Jhye Richardson castled Buttler, and it looked like the game was done and dusted.
However, captain Samson kept going at a solid strike rate from one end while Dube hit a few handy fours to keep Royals in the contest. Youngster Riyan Parag’s eye-catching assault of Murugan Ashwin tilted the balance in favour of Royals.
Samson continued his calculated assault as he picked up regular boundaries and took the game until the last over. Despite his heroics, Kings won the match by 4 runs as Arshdeep Singh bowled a brilliant final over.
IPL 2021 : PBKS vs RR, Who won man of the match?
Samson registered the highest score by a captain in the IPL debut but fell agonisingly short of a memorable victory. He played proper cricketing shots even in the death overs and kept targeting the extra cover region. His footwork was minimal but the power he generated using his wrists was a throwback to Sehwag at his peak.
