The Punjab Kings have made it a habit of getting into last-ball thrillers,haven’t they? Luckily,this time,they got themselves pass the line.In the process of defending the score of 125,they also made their name in the IPL history books.
Lowest targets successfully defended by PBKS (IPL)
120 vs MI Durban 2009
126 vs SRH Sharjah 2021 *
127 vs SRH Dubai 2020
133 vs KKR Abu Dhabi 2014
Lowest targets failed to chase down by SRH (IPL)
126 vs PBKS Sharjah 2021 *
127 vs PBKS Dubai 2020
137 vs MI Hyderabad 2019
Relief in the Punjab camp
Another game that’s gone down to the wire, kind of, and this time PBKS have ended on the right side of it. Hyderabad only have themselves to blame really. 126 wasn’t the biggest of targets, even if you factor in the ultra-slowness of the pitch, but they just had no impetus in the run chase until Holder’s arrival. Warner and Williamson fell to Shami’s excellent new-ball burst and the Punjab boys then kept squeezing the run flow.
Saha, Pandey and Jadhav did get starts but none of them looked like taking the game away from the opposition. It actually seemed like a comfortable win for Punjab before Holder started belting sixes for fun, taking the game deep but in the end, he lacked support. If only someone else had also shown more intent. Not to take anything away from KL Rahul’s boys, they were exceptional with the ball. This is the lowest score successfully defended in the IPL at Sharjah.
Misery for SRH
The bowling unit, fielding unit of SRH did a fantastic job. Certainly the surface was a tough one. Required partnerships and they were certainly backing themselves to get close. It took a brilliant individual performance in both halves from Jason Holder, especially with the bat to keep the match competitive. SRH is a proud franchise with a frustrating season this year. They do need to look for areas to improve.
Punjab tried to come out attacking like it usually happens in T20s. But playing shots was challenging. For SRH it was about looking to build platforms. It was quite a challenge to pounce on Punjab Kings without losing wickets.The games come thick and fast. SRH need to come to the next game with fresh eyes and freedom.Smart cricket needs to be played with different surfaces.
Player from losing side declared Man of the Match
It is one of the very rare incidents where a player from the losing side is declared the Man of the Match. Only few must have heard about it .And today’s match was the addition to that rare list.
Jason Holder- with 3 wickets at an economy of 4.80 and a score of 47* with five sixes – was selected as the Player of the Match.It was an all-round performance from the Caribbean that kept SRH in the game till the last ball.
What’s next for these two teams
For now, Punjab can afford to smile a bit as they are still alive in the tournament while Hyderabad are on the brink of elimination. Maybe a mathematical possibility but it looks extremely far-fetched.
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