PBKS vs KKR: Arshdeep’s spell and other top moments from Match 2 of IPL 2023

Punjab Kings began the 16th season of the Indian Premier League on a promising note, defeating Kolkata Knight Riders in a rain-affected clash at the IS Bindra PCA Stadium in Mohali on Saturday.

PBKS, who are looking shake off their tag of “perennial achievers” by making their first playoffs in nearly a decade this season, gave a good account of themselves against KKR upon their return to their home venue, where they are playing after a gap of four years.

In Photos | PBKS defeat KKR in rain-marred clash in Mohali

Punjab manage to check off a number of boxes with their seven-run victory (DLS Method) in which they were the superior side not only with bat and ball but also on the field.

Shikhar Dhawan also gave a good account of himself as skipper, pulling off a victory in his first game as PBKS captain.

Read | Twitter hails PBKS’ ‘fantastic win’ over KKR

With the second game of IPL 2023 coming to an end, we take a look at some of the top moments from the match:

Arshdeep’s haul of 3/19:

Arshdeep was the standout performer of the game, proving his powerplay credentials once again by dismissing opener Mandeep Singh and No 3 batter Anukul Roy in his first over of the evening. He would remove top-scorer Venkatesh Iyer later in the innings to inflict another big blow to KKR’s hopes of pulling off an unlikely win, and was fittingly named the Player of the Match for his haul of 3/19 in three overs.

The left-arm seamer proved Punjab’s attack was just as lethal even in the absence of their spearhead Kagiso Rabada, who isn’t due to join the squad till Monday, and that he can win matches on his own for the Kings.

Bhanuka slams maiden fifty:

While Arshdeep was the pick of the bowlers in the PBKS-KKR match, Bhanuka Rajapaksa was the only batter from either team to cross the 50-mark as the Sri Lankan left-handed batter would bring up the milestone for the first time in the Indian Premier League.

Rajapaksa, who was among the players retained by Punjab ahead of the 16th season, brought up the milestone in 30 balls. He struck at over 150 while stitching a solid 86-run stand for the second wicket with skipper Dhawan to lay the foundation for a sizeable total, though he would’ve been disappointed at not converting the fantastic start into an even bigger score, possibly in three digits.

Million-dollar man Curran dishes out all-round show:

Sam Curran would’ve been under a lot of pressure heading into Punjab Kings’ opening game of the season against Kolkata Knight Riders. Curran, after all, became the most expensive player in the history of the Indian Premier League after being bought back by PBKS for a whopping Rs 18.5 crore in the player auction.

Curran did prove his money’s worth to a fair extent, though, smashing an unbeaten 26 off 17 deliveries, helping Punjab exert scoreboard pressure on Kolkata by getting within touching distance of the 200-mark, before halting KKR’s charge in the middle overs by prising out the key wicket of Andre Russell.

Venkatesh Iyer impresses as Impact Player:

We’re still getting used to the concept of an ‘Impact Player’ that has made its debut in the Indian Premier League, with the new rule cricket’s attempt at emulating the kind of substitutions that take place in sports such as football.

While some Impact Players backfire, as was the case with Tushar Deshpande for CSK yesterday or Rishi Dhawan for PBKS today, KKR’s decision to bring in Venkatesh Iyer for Varun Chakravarthy duting the innings break reaped rich dividends as Iyer ended up scoring a valuable 28-ball 34 and kept the Knight Riders alive in a challenging 192-run chase, especially after the Nitish Rana-led side were playing catch-up after losing three wickets upfront.

Dre Russ gives a hint of what’s to come:

Though he wasn’t utilised as a medium pacer, which might raise some questions over his fitness, Andre Russell sent out a warning to opposition bowling unit with some lofty hitting against the Punjab Kings on Saturday. The Jamaican all-rounder started off with the ones and twos, he broke the shackles with a boundary straight over Harpreet Brar’s head.

Russell would later collect a six and a four off consecutive deliveries from Curran, keeping the Knight Riders alive in the contest. Even though the required rate was climbing, no equation would’ve been too high for a Dre Russ on song. Unfortunately for KKR, Curran had the last laugh as he dismissed him right after the six and a four, and helped Punjab surge ahead just before the rain got heavier.

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