26th Match: Punjab XI vs Bangalore XI at Ahmedabad, Apr 30, 2021
Punjab won by 34 runs
RCB 145/8 (20)
PBKS 179/5 (20)
RR: 7.25
Last 12 Balls: 4 4 1 . 1 6 | 6 1 4 W 1 .
Last Wicket: Kyle Jamieson 16(11)
Harpreet Brar, player of the match
KL Rahul (PBKS): We were preparing Brar. On a pitch like this, we felt like we needed a finger spinner who could hit hard lengths. He did exactly that and batted really well in the end as well. I am young myself, but I have been trying to speak to the boys and pass on whatever experience I have of IPL and international cricket. They are blessed with enormous talent and we have to prepare them for the situations and the pressures they'd face in the middle as the captain and the support staff. Really makes me and the support staff very happy. There is nothing in particular against RCB, but all matches against them have been must-win games for us because of when they come in the tournament. It was important for me to lead from the front and that's what I try to do every game. When I have the opportunity to put pressure on bowlers and set targets, I try to do it to the best of my ability. It came off well today. There is a lot written about Gayle, about his age and whether he should be playing. But I know as a captain, just his impact he has when he walks out is huge. I have played with him for 7-8 years and he keeps getting better and better. He is batting at three, something he hasn't done ever in his career, but he'll do that for the team. That is the man Chris is. He takes the pressure off me at the top.
Virat Kohli (RCB): They got off to a good start but we pulled things back somewhat after five down. Should have been chasing 160, when they were 116/5, but we gave away 25-odd runs in the end. Focused too much on what the batters were doing. We got away from our plans. We gave too many bad balls for boundaries. As batsmen, we could have tried different things early on. It was tough to hit through the line. It was all about trying to get a partnership and have a strike rate of more than 110. We were not able to do that as a batting unit. Just a few little tweaks we need to address going forward. There are areas we need to improve. The composition of our team is such that we give him (Patidar) the freedom to play at number 3. It's (batting order) situational, this is a good balance for our batting lineup. Rajat is a quality player, just that tonight wasn't his night. In the end, we gave away 25 runs too many. One wicket there and we could have squeezed them. We couldn't execute our plans. Pulled few runs nicely as Harshal and Jamieson hit few runs towards the end. The margin could have been a bigger one otherwise.
Punjab Kings won by 34 runs
19.6
0
0
Over 19.6 Riley Meredith bowls a pitched up delivery to Mohammed Siraj, no run, gets forward and tries to swing through the line but misses.
19.5
1
1
Over 19.5 Riley Meredith bowls a pitched up delivery to Kyle Jamieson,1 run, gets forward and flicks it down to long-on and picks up a single.
