Punjab finally ends their losing streak to add vital two points to stay alive in the playoffs race. The skipper guided Punajb to home with Chris Gayle to chase down 172 on a challenging track.
Toss: Bangalore opted to bat first
Team Changes: Chris Gayle comes in (Punjab)
Bangalore was unchanged
Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah
Detailed Match Report
Bangalore got a good start with adding 38 in first 4 overs. Arshdeep got Padikkal to draw first blood for Punjab. Finch failed to convert the start and trapped himself in Murugan Ashwin’s spin. Ashwin grabbed another to send Sundar to pavilion. Kohli on the other side was taking the charge and he got the support of Dubey. In flag-overs, Bangalore lost the rhythm. Jordan got Dubey and Shami trapped ABD and Kohli in a single over to put Punjab on driver’s seat. Morris provided some fire, in the end, to take Bangalore towards an imposing total of 171. In final over, Shami conceded 24 runs.
Punjab started the charge sensibly by the steady approach in the first 3 overs, followed by an attack in the next three. Chahal broke the stand after removing Mayank Agarwal. Gayle joined KL Rahul and big man took enough time to get settle. Rahul completed his yet another half-century and Gayle got the rhythm after smashing two sixes to Sundar. His batting approach was pure gold and he also completed fifty in his first game of the season. Chahal tried to change the game in final over but Punjab wins it in the end with Pooran's last-ball six.
Star-performer of the match
KL Rahul is our star performer of the match. He started the innings on a positive note and carried the momentum with Gayle to seal the much-needed victory for Punjab. The skipper finished the game with a match-winning knock of 61 off 49 balls, including 5 sixes and one four.
Top 5 players who made an impact in the game
Murugan Ashwin 4-0-23-2
Virat Kohli 48 (39)
KL Rahul 61 (49)
Chris Gayle 53 (45)
Chris Morris 25 (8) & 4-0-22-0
