Nehal Wadhera and Shashank Singh both delivered impressive half-centuries at a fast pace, propelling Punjab Kings (PBKS) to a total of 219 for 5 that seemed unlikely. Despite Rajasthan Royals (RR) taking three wickets in the first 19 balls, PBKS’s determination to continue attacking proved to be a wise decision. The team’s aggressive approach paid off as they managed to score 58 runs in the powerplay and their momentum only increased from there.
Wadhera has consistently been a key player in a batting line-up that refuses to back down. Throughout this IPL, he has played six innings with a strike rate of 150 or higher. He excels against both spin (with a SR of 156 and an average of 84) and pace (with a SR of 160 and an average of 23). His impact in the middle overs forced RR to make drastic decisions. Even their star bowler, Tushar Deshpande, was bowling yorkers, bouncers, and slower bouncers as early as the 15th over.
Wadhera made his highest score in T20 cricket, falling for 70 off just 37 balls. He nearly got out on 48, but Wanindu Hasaranga couldn’t quite make a difficult return catch.
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With four overs remaining in the innings, RR may have believed that they had a chance after the departure of their established batsman. However, Shashank excelled in the role of finisher. The potential for Riyan Parag to dismiss him on the 10th delivery was there but was hindered by Dhruv Jurel’s misjudgment of the boundary line at long-off while attempting a catch.
Following that, Shashank achieved a 25-ball half-century, outsmarting RR’s strategy of bowling wide yorkers by varying his position in the crease – both laterally and back and forth – to secure timely boundaries. This resulted in PBKS scoring 60 runs in the final four overs.
