Sharjah: Glenn Maxwell firing fifty was followed by a spirited bowling performance by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) as they defeated Punjab Kings (PBKS) by 6 runs in their Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter here at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
With this win, RCB has qualified for the playoffs of IPL 2021. For the fourth place, it will be a four-way battle between Punjab Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, and Rajasthan Royals.
Opting to bat, RCB suffered a middle-order collapse after openers Devdutt Padikkal (40; 38 balls, 4×4; 2×6) and Virat Kohli (25; 24 balls, 2×4; 1×6) added 68 runs for the first wicket.
But Maxwell, who is in the midst of one of his best IPL seasons, hit four sixes and three fours, to complete 50 off 29 balls.
But like the previous matches in their season, Punjab Kings exploded once KL Rahul was out. They lost their plot in the middle order and fell agnoisly short by six runs.
Kl and Mayank started on a cautious note but upped the ante as the innings progressed. Mayank was the aggressor, while KL Rahul played perfect foil for his deputy.
Wickets kept falling for PBKS as dangerous-looking Aiden Markram was removed by George Garton in the 17th over. Shahrukh Khan was accompanied by Moises Henriques on the pitch as PBKS needed 27 runs off the final 2 overs. The duo managed to gather 8 runs in the penultimate over.
With 19 needed in the last over, Shahrukh Khan got run out on the first ball of the 20th over. Moises Henriques did smash a six on the second-last ball but until then it was too late as RCB took home the two points.
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