Last night’s PBKS and CSK match in IPL was exhilarating until the end. The bowling in the last over was utterly nerve-wracking as Punjab outcast Chennai in a thrilling situation.
Kagiso Rabada, one of the top bowlers in the world of cricket praised Rishi Dhawan enthusiastically as he was able to hold his nerve in a crucial final over to ensure an eleven-run win against Chennai Super Kings for Punjab Kings. The match was played at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai and was the 38th match of the IPL (Indian Premier League) this year. Rabada explained after the win that it can be much daunting to bowl MS Dhoni in the end over, especially at a stadium where you can see tons of yellow shirts echoing the legendary cricketer’s name.
• Highlights
Rishi shone with his bowling for Punjab Kings in the first match of him this season yesterday. He previously knocked out the wicket of Shivam Dube in his first spell in the game who was in form. He gave only 24 runs in 3 overs and was picked out for bowling the last over to Dhoni when CSK needed 27 runs to win.
Dhawan, the 32-year-old all-rounder was seen wearing a head protection gear after he got recovered from an injury at the nose which made him suffer earlier this year during the Ranji Trophy. He gathered up all his experience to stop Dhoni from performing another stunning play.
The over did not really start on a good note as Dhoni hit a short ball from Dhawan at deep square backward leg into the stands.Finally, the captain of Punjab from Himachal Pradesh finished the chase by taking Dhoni’s much needed wicket in the third ball which was after a dot ball. Dhoni was unable to time the ball after Dhawan got the wrong line and MSD was finally caught at deep mid-wicket.
Rabada also commented that Dhawan put his hand up for bowling the final over and may have felt hugely pressurized as there was not one red shirt in the crowd. The winning credit goes entirely to Dhawan as he didn’t only manage to stand patient in the situation but also defeated the team calmly with his power move. Rabada was also in praise for Arshdeep Singh and regarded him the best death bowler in the league. He was ton left-arm pacer who gave only twenty-three runs in four long overs which helped Punjab in garnering the major win.
This win will improve their position in the points table and make them hope for the winning trophy at the end. Although being a little behind the rate in the Powerplay, Rabada didn’t forget to commend Bhanuka Rajapaksha and Shikhar Dhawan for their knocks.
On the other hand, the Player of the Match award went to Shikhar as he scored 88 runs off 59 balls. Hesaid that he never stops to work on his skills and understands that the results will be shown accordingly. Mayank on the other hand also complemented Rabada and others for their good bowling and talked about being a smart team from now on. He claims that they still need to focus on winning two or three more matches to keep the balance after this win.