IPL 2023, PBKS vs RCB: Siraj wins away game for RCB with figures of 4-21

IPL 2023, Punjab Kings (PBKS) vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Top Performances: Faf du Plessis’s 84(56), Mohammed Siraj’s 4-21 and Wanindu Hasaranga’s 2-39 are the top performances. RCB beat PBKS and move to 5th position in points table.

IPL 2023, PBKS vs RCB, Top Performances: RCB beat Punjab Kings by 24 runs and move to 5th position in points table | Walking Wicket (Images_ ©IPL_Twitter)

RCB beat PBKS by 24 runs and move to 5th position in table (Images: ©IPL/Twitter)

Brief Scores: RCB 174-4 (du Plessis 84, Kohli 59, Brar 2-31, Arshdeep Singh 1-34) beat PBKS 150 (Prabhsimran 46, Jitesh 41, Siraj 4-21, Hasaranga 2-39) by 24 runs

Player of the Match: Mohammed Siraj (4/21)

Sadda Punjab! The IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali geared up once again on Thursday to host the 27th match of IPL 2023 between Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore. A couple of changes were seen as Virat Kohli was back as the RCB skipper and Sam Curran replaced an injured Shikhar Dhawan as PBKS skipper. The atmosphere in the ground was simply electrifying as both teams were embroiled in an intense battle, desperate to march ahead in this tournament.

RCB lay strong foundation to get 170+

After being asked to bat first, Royal Challengers Bangalore got off to a strong start scoring 59 inside the powerplay without losing a wicket. Once the powerplay overs were concluded, Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis didn’t let the PBKS bowlers settle down and went on to register the second-highest opening stand of IPL 2023. PBKS bowlers went wicketless right through the innings but in the end managed to pull things back and restrict RCB to 174-4.

In response, Punjab Kings were rocked by the dismissal of their opener Atharva Taide in the very first over. Matthew Short was next to depart after a brief blitzkrieg from him drew to a close. Mohammed Siraj was the pick of the bowlers for RCB who really got the ball talking during the powerplay overs. He picked up the prize wickets of Liam Livingstone and Taide to shift the pressure back on the home side. Things just kept turning from bad to worse as the scoring rate dried up and PBKS kept losing wickets at regular intervals. However, thanks to the contribution of Jitesh Sharma and Harpreet Brar low down the order, PBKS were able to take the game down to the wire but eventually fell short by 24 runs.

Talking Point: PBKS’s inexperienced batting unit hurts them

PBKS’s lack of experience in their bating department was clearly evident in Thursday’s fixture. Even in the previous games, their batting has let them down on a few occasions. Firstly, they lacked the services of Shikhar Dhawan who could play the anchoring role. Second of all, the dangerous Livingstone was playing his first IPL game of the season and was looking rusty at the crease. Matthew Short, on the other hand, could not keep his composure after scoring two glorious boundaries and gave his wicket away cheaply. And finally, Sam Curran who has the reputation for being one of the best all-rounders in limited overs cricket failed to live up to expectations with the bat. PBKS think-tank needs to address their batting woes and look for a reliable top order batter who could steady the ship when times are turbulent.

Top performances from PBKS vs RCB, IPL 2023

IPL 2023, PBKS vs RCB, Top Performances_ Faf du Plessis scored 85 off 56 against PBKS; RCB beat PBKS _ Walking Wicket (Images_ ©IPL_Twitter)

du Plessis scored 84 off 56 against PBKS (Images: ©IPL/Twitter)

Du Plessis’s well-structured 84 off 56 balls

Faf du Plessis scored 84 off 56 balls at an impressive strike rate of 150. His innings featured 5 fours and 5 sixes. Overall, he looked very calm and composed against spin and pace and scored majority of the runs straight down the ground. There were no reckless shots played as he relied on sheer timing and placement to get the bulk of his runs. He partnered with Virat Kohli to register an unassailable 137-run stand for the first wicket which was suffice to deflate the versatile PBKS bowling line up in the first half of the first innings.

Mohammed Siraj and Wanindu Hasaranga’s clinical performance with the ball

Mohammed Siraj was the pick of the bowlers for RCB as he emerged as the most economical bowler conceding just 21 in his allotted four overs. He bowled impressively and picked up the early wicket of Taide to make early inroads into Punjab batting line up. Furthermore, he picked up a very important wicket of Livingstone who could have gone berserk. With a lethal T20 strike rate of over 147, Livingstone could have seriously wreaked havoc on the RCB bowlers so his dismissal was very timely. And finally, Siraj struck at the death and removed Harpreet Brar and Nathan Ellis which completely sealed PBKS’s hopes of winning the match.

Hasaranga was a touch on the expensive side going at almost 10 runs per over but still managed to do justice to the wickets column. He struck in the beginning of the innings by removing Short who was looking to explode and later came back to dismiss Shahrukh Khan in the middle overs. All in all, the duo conceded a total of 60 runs at 7.5 RPO and picked up a combined tally of 6 wickets.

Jitesh Sharma, the lone warrior for PBKS

Punjab batters had a tough day at the office as their premium batters featuring the likes of Livingstone, Short and Curran failed to fire. With wickets tumbling at the other end, Jitesh Sharma took matters in his own hands and waged a lone battle and scored at an extraordinary strike rate of over 150 to give his side a fighting chance. His knock of 41(27) featured 2 fours and 3 sixes that really gave some nightmares to the RCB bowlers.

Points Table Scenario and What’s Next

With a win in today’s fixture, RCB climb up to number 5 spot whilst their NRR has marginally improved to -0.068. They will now host Rajasthan Royals at home on April 23. Whereas, PBKS slip to number 7 position whilst their NRR has slightly degraded to - 0.298. They will now head to Wankhede Stadium to face Mumbai Indians in their next encounter on April 22.

IPL 2023 Points Table