Arshdeep Singh shines in his first match of IPL 2023 as Punjab Kings defeat Kolkata Knight Riders by 7 runs (DLS Method) in a rain-affected game at Mohali in match 2 of Tata IPL 2023.
Punjab Kings batting first scored 191 runs batting first on a flat track. Bhanuka Rajapaksa scored 50 runs in 32 balls and Sam Curran quickfire innings of 27 runs helped Punjab reach a match-winning total.
Kolkata Knight Riders chasing a huge target were rattled up by young left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh early in their innings. Arshdeep Singh bowling the 2nd over of KKR’s innings picked the wicket of Mandeep Singh with a pacy short ball as Mandeep holed out to Sam Curran.
Arshdeep Singh then troubled Anukul Roy with his pace. He set up the batter perfectly with his bouncers and gets rid of him on the 6th ball of the 2nd over with a sharp bouncer. Arshdeep Singh’s impactful spell in the powerplay set up the game for Punjab Kings.
The pacer then dismissed Venkatesh Iyer in the 16th over who was well set on 33 runs. Iyer’s wicket put Punjab ahead in the DLS par score as it turned out to be crucial in the outcome of the game. Arshdeep ends the game with match-winning figures of 3/19 in 3 overs. The young left-arm seamer reached 100 wicket milestone in his T20 career.
Arshdeep Singh Bounces Out KKR Batters
The fire was clearly visible in Arshdeep eyes as he bounced out Kolkata Knight Riders batters at Mohali. Arshdeep was aggressive in his approach from the first ball. He swung the ball early in the over and then surprised KKR batters with bouncers.
The left-arm pacer set the right field and backed his plan to bounce out the opponent batters. The ploy worked perfectly for Punjab Kings. The three wickets he picked up were all of the short balls. Arshdeep Singh is a great asset to the Punjab side and one of the top contenders for Purple Cap in IPL 2023.
Punjab Skipper Shikhar Dhawan comments on their win:
“It’s a great feeling to start the tournament with a win, we’ll try to take the momentum in the next game and carry that confidence ahead. According to the situation I used those bowlers, good thing we have got plenty of bowlers in the side.”
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