Hello everyone and thanks for joining to read the summary of match 26 of the IPL 2021. It was played between Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Banglore at the Narendra Modi stadium. It was an exciting game of cricket in which Punjab won by 34 runs and improved their position in the points table. Bangalore had their second loss this season and they remain at the number 3 spot.
The toss was won by Bangalore and they asked Punjab to bat first. Both the teams had made changes in their playing 11. Prabhsimran Singh and KL Rahul opened for Punjab but Prabhsimran was sent back early in the inning by Kyle Jamieson for 7 runs. He was replaced by Chris Gayle and Gayle started playing his shots as soon as he arrived at the crease. He hit Jamieson for 5 fours in the 6th over and Punjab had 49 runs on the board at the end of the power play overs. KL played his shots at the other end too and the duo had put up a solid partnership and Punjab looked good with 99 runs on the board with just 1 wicket down. But then Gayle was dismissed by Daniel Sams for 46 runs and the game started turning from there. Nicholas Pooran and Shahrukh Khan were dismissed on ducks and Deepak Hooda got out for 5 runs as he tried playing a big shot against Shahbaz Ahmed. Punjab had 5 wickets down for 122 runs and they looked to be losing the momentum as the bowlers of Bangalore pulled the game back in the favour of their team during the 11th to 15th over. But Punjab finished strongly in the end overs as KL went back not out after scoring 91 runs in 57 balls and Harpreet Brar scored 25 runs in 17 balls. The two took their team's total to 179 runs and Bangalore needed to make 180 runs to win the match. Shahbaz Ahmed had another off day with the ball as he conceded 53 runs in his 4 overs which added extra 10-15 runs to Punjab's total.
For Bangalore, Virat Kohli and Devdutt Paddikal came to bat for the opening wicket but Paddikal couldn't stay for long and was sent back by Riley Meredith for 7 runs. Rajat Patidar was the next batsman and he joined Kohli in the middle. Kohli and Patidar tried playing their shots but the bowlers of Punjab were quite accurate with their line and length and they didn't give much room to the two batsmen to play their shots freely. This built pressure on Kohli and he was dismissed by Harpreet Brar on the first ball of his second over. Glenn Maxwell was the next batsman in but he too was bowled by Brar on the very next ball and Bangalore suddenly looked to be in a spot of bother. AB de Villiers came in to bat next but he too was dismissed by Brar who was having an outstanding match. All of a sudden, all the big names of Bangalore were back in the hut and Punjab had full control over the match. The remaining batsmen too couldn't do much with the bat and everybody struggled except for Harshal Patel who made 31 runs in 13 balls. Bangalore kept losing wickets at regular intervals and they could reach to 145 runs only in their 20 overs after losing 8 wickets. The two spinners of Punjab, Harpreet Brar and Ravi Bishnoi were outstanding for Punjab as the duo picked up 5 wickets while giving away just 36 runs in their 8 overs. Harpreet was awarded the Man of the Match award for his impressive performance both with the bat and the ball and Punjab won their third match this season.
Bangalore would be disappointed as they had the match in control for the most part of the first inning but the momentum shifted in Punjab's favour in the final overs of the inning as Harpreet and KL scored quick runs to finish at 179 runs. Their batsmen too could have applied themselves better and they could have gotten closer to the target. But Punjab would be ecstatic to have a complete team performance as their batsmen managed to put a good score on the board and the bowlers defended it successfully. The middle-order batsmen might be a concern for them though as they all got out cheaply and Pooran had his fourth duck this season. They would hope for a better performance from him and the rest of the middle-order batsmen in the next match.
Moving on, the next match in the tournament is between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings. Both the teams have won their last match and they are in the top 4 at the points table. The rivalry between Mumbai and Chennai has always been interesting and we can expect an excitng game of cricket. We'll have to wait to see which team gets those two points at the end of the match. Please read the summary of that match here on Sunday morning. Until then, stay home and stay safe!
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