Punjab Kings (PBKS) recorded a comprehensive victory over defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) on Friday, breaking their three-match losing streak in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021.
After opting to bowl first, the KL Rahul-led side restricted the run-flow completely and stopped MI at 131/6 in their allotted 20 overs. Only Mumbai skipper Rohit Sharma could able to stand in front of the PBKS bowling attack, scoring a remarkable 63 from 52 deliveries with the help of seven boundaries.
Mohammed Shami and Ravi Bishnoi were the most successful bowlers for Punjab. The duo picked up two wickets each while conceding 21 runs in their quota of 4 overs, respectively.
In reply, PBKS chased down the paltry target comfortably in 17.4 overs. Captain Rahul scored unbeaten 60 off 52 balls while Chris Gayle stayed not out on 43 to get their side to register a second triumph in the ongoing fourteenth season of the cash-rich league.
Rahul heaped praises on Gayle for playing mature innings, stating the Windies star can get destructive at times and brings a lot of experience into play.
“It was good of Chris that he got through that period. He was always confident that he could make it up. He knew whom to target. That’s what you get with Chris, not just destructive batting but also experience of so many years playing T20 cricket,” said Rahul at the post-match presentation.
After the sensational win, PBKS co-owner Preity Zinta, who is currently in quarantine, expressed her happiness with how the Mohali-based team played the game and showed a ‘dominant performance’ to beat the five-time winners on a difficult batting track in Chennai.
The Bollywood diva took to Twitter and congratulated the players for their ‘teamwork’. She lauded the boys and highlighted how the win gave her ‘something to celebrate’ in her quarantine period.
“Finally, something to celebrate in my quarantine as it’s pretty tough to stay locked up in a room without a window for a week,” tweeted Zinta after the game.
“Tonight was all about teamwork & it was awesome to see such a strong & dominant performance from the boys #PBKSvsMI #ting @PunjabKingsIPL@klrahul11”, added Zinta in her tweet.
Finally something to celebrate in my quarantine as it’s pretty tough to stay locked up in a room without a window for a week. Tonight was all about team work & it was awesome to see such a strong & dominant performance from the boys 👊 #PBKSvsMI #ting @PunjabKingsIPL @klrahul11 pic.twitter.com/ypEKJKGTTd
— Preity G Zinta (@realpreityzinta) April 23, 2021
