IPL 2021: KL Rahul, Gayle steer Punjab Kings to 179/5 against RCB
Apr 30, 2021
Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], April 30 : Chris Gayle fired with the bat before KL Rahul changed gears in the death overs to steer Punjab Kings to 179/5 in the allotted 20 overs against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter here at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Friday.
In the last four overs, Punjab Kings scored 53 runs with 22 coming in the final six balls as Rahul and Harpreet Brar ensured the side finished the innings on a high.
Mohammed Siraj gave just seven runs in the penultimate over but Rahul and Harpreet smashed 22 runs off Harshal Patel's final over as Punjab Kings got close to 180.
Put in to bat first, Punjab Kings got off to a slow start but things soon fell into place Chris Gayle, who came into bat at number three and hammered five fours in the sixth over to take his side to 49-1 at the end of the powerplay.
KL Rahul and Prabhsimran Singh had opened for Punjab Kings but Kyle Jamieson removed the 20-year-old cricketer in the fourth over.
Gayle continued his onslaught and took Punjab Kings to 90/1 at the end of the tenth over. However, RCB soon bounced back with two quick wickets. Daniel Sams removed Gayle while Jamieson dismissed Nicholas Pooran in the 12th over.
Punjab Kings' middle-ordern collapsed when Shahrukh Khan bowled for a duck reducing the side to 118/5. But Rahul and Harpreet Brar took on RCB bowlers and reached the 150-run mark at the end of 18 overs. In the final over, Punjab Kings scored 22 runs to get close to 180.
Brief Scores: Punjab Kings 179/5 (KL Rahul 91, Chris Gayle 46; Kyle Jamieson 2-32) vs RCB
