PBKS vs RCB IPL 2023

Royal Challengers impressive game help them win by 24 runs against Punjab Kings

RCB won by 24 runs against PBKS in IPL 2023 Match 27 at Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali. PBKS failed to chase down the 175-run target and were all out for 150 in 18.2 overs, with Prabhsimran Singh scoring 46 off 30 balls. RCB’s Mohammed Siraj took four wickets, while Wanindu Hasaranga dismissed two. RCB posted 174/4 in 20 overs, with Virat Kohli scoring 59 off 47 balls and Faf du Plessis scoring 84 off 56 balls. Harpreet Brar took two wickets for PBKS, while Arshdeep Singh and Nathan Ellis took one each.

Notably, Bangalore openers Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis had helped RCB off to a splendid start with Bangalore 108/0 in 13 overs at one stage. However, the Punjab bowlers came back brilliantly to not allow other than their openers, each of whom scored half-centuries, to even touch the double-figure mark.

While Kohli departed for 59 off 47, Du Plessis, who only batted in the match scored 84 off 56, before being subbed off in the second innings. With Bangalore already aware of the South African’s rib injury, they had named Kohli as the skipper of the team on Thursday.

Punjab, meanwhile, continued to be without the services of their regular captain Shikhar Dhawan and never looked comfortable in the run-chase, losing 4 wickets inside the powerplay alone. Wicketkeeper batter Jitesh Sharma’s blows lower down the order did ignite some hopes of a turnaround but the Bangalore total proved to be out of reach of the Punjab batters on the day. Earlier, Prabhsimran Singh (46 off 30) had also looked in great nick but found no support in the initial half of the PBKS chase.

Virat Kohli, Royal Challengers Bangalore captain says – This (win) does not make us an invincible team or the league position before today did not make us a bad team. The table cannot define your mood, when you have just played five or six games. Maintain our processes and stay in the moment. In the first half, the conditions changed drastically. Faf batted outstandingly well. We thought of extending our partnership for as long as possible so that it could give us an extra 20 runs. After overs 7-8, as soon as the ball was getting bashed into the square, the ball really started getting scuffed up. We changed our strategy then to bat deeper. Had we stayed in, we could have given a crack at 190-200. We felt 175 was a good score on this pitch. I told them that was more than enough. All we had to do was be confident and hold the ball in hand looking to get wickets. The way you win games in T20 cricket is by taking wickets. At the half-way stage, the idea was to take the game to the opposition in the first six overs. We broke the game open right there and our fielding was brilliant as well.