IPL 2021: ‘Punjab Bottling Kings’ – Twitter slams Punjab Kings for unbelievable loss against Rajasthan Royals
In the most bizarre way possible, the Punjab Kings found a way to lose their first game after the resumption of the tournament. Rajasthan Royals maintained their composure despite the game slipping away from their hands, and managed to pull off a sensational win from the jaws of defeat. They were down and out, with the Punjab Kings requiring just 10 runs off their last 15 balls, but somehow they managed to defend the total.
The Royals had a spectacular outing in the game until Arshdeep Singh’s second spell of the day. Evin Lewis, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Mahipal Lomror had provided them a solid start, but all they could manage was 185 runs, a good 20 runs short of what they deserved. Arshdeep Singh picked up his first 5-fer in IPL cricket, helping Punjab Kings gain crucial momentum going into the second innings.
The Rajasthan Royals had a horrible day on the field, as they dropped three sitters in the powerplay of KL Rahul. Evin Lewis, Riyan Parag and Chetan Sakariya had dropped the Punjab Kings’ captain, who went on to score a crucial half-century. He added 120 runs for the opening partnership with Mayank Agarwal and out of the blue, the game took a big turn.
The unexpected Punjab Kings downfall
Kartik Tyagi was named man of the match for his outstanding final over, and figures of 2/29.
Mayank Agarwal played some delightful shots and scored a well-compiled 67, but was dismissed shortly after Rahul was caught at short thirdman. Aiden Markram and Nicholas Pooran ensured that the Royals gained no momentum from those wickets and kept the required rate well within control. Both players chipped in with some big shots on occasions, and it seemed like they will reach their destination with a few balls to spare.
Also Read: WATCH: Sakariya aborts run up, rethinks plan to Rahul and dismisses him
However, Kartik Tyagi had other ideas in the final over of the innings. He started with a dot off Markram, who then got off strike in the next ball. Nicholas Pooran edged the yorker straight to Samson off the third delivery, creating the initial tension in the camp. Deepak Hooda then missed his first, and got dismissed the next ball as Punjab needed 3 off 1 ball.
Another well-executed yorker saw Fabian Allen miss the final ball and they didn’t bother to complete a run, as the game was already done. Here’s how Twitter reacted to this doomsday performance from Punjab Kings.