Punjab Kings (PBKS) power hitter Nicholas Pooran so far has had a very disappointing season with the bat in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. Pooran has played five matches and scored only 9 runs for his side at a dreadful average of 2.25.
Pooran did not get a chance to bat in the match against Mumbai Indians (MI) held at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday as his team chased down the paltry target of 132 by nine wickets.
But the Caribbean made sure to contribute in the field as he grabbed a stunning catch to dismiss MI all-rounder Krunal Pandya. It all happened on the penultimate delivery of MI innings when Krunal went for a glory shot off Mohammad Shami.
The bowler bowled a back of a length delivery which Krunal whacked over the cover region. However, Pooran stormed in from the deep, kept his eyes on the ball and attempted a forward dive to complete a sensational catch.
Here is the video:
— Cricsphere (@Cricsphere) April 23, 2021
In the match, Punjab bowlers showed top-class performance and restricted the defending champions at 131/6 in their allotted 20 overs. Skipper Rohit Sharma top-scored for his side with a well made 63 from 52 deliveries, including five fours and two sixes. Apart from Rohit, Suryakumar Yadav made a valuable contribution of 33 off 27 balls.
For PBKS, Shami and Ravi Bishnoi picked up two wickets each, while Deepak Hooda and Arshdeep Singh bagged one wicket apiece.
In reply, Punjab chased down the target in 17.4 overs to register their second victory of the ongoing fourteenth season. Captain KL Rahul smashed an unbeaten 60 off 52 balls while Chris Gayle stayed unbeaten on 43 off 35 deliveries to get their side over the finish line.