The touring party won the toss and opted to bowl, with Sam Curran leading Punjab in the absence of regular skipper Shikhar Dhawan, who missed out due to a niggle. The hosts began well but were restricted to just 159/8 in their allotted 20 overs.
Captain KL Rahul was the standout performer for the Super Giants and the only batter who stood tall in front of a disciplined bowling attack of Punjab. The right-handed batter ended up smashing 74 from just 56 deliveries, with the help of 8 fours and a six.
PBKS skipper Curran and fast bowler Kagiso Rabada were the pick of the bowlers, with the English star taking three wickets while the South African pacer bagged a couple. Rabada picked up his first wicket in the form of Krunal Pandya thanks to Shahrukh Khan’s brilliant effort on the field.
It all happened in the 15th over when Rabada bowled a short delivery, and Krunal rocked back before smacking it to the shorter boundary. But Shahrukh was well placed inside the ropes as he took the catch, moving sideways. However, upon realizing that he was going to trod onto the advertisement skirtings, Shahrukh lobbed the ball in the air, settled himself, came back and then took it on the rebound. The TV umpire had a few looks, and he was happy that it was a clean catch.
Here is the video:
Safe hands ft. Shahrukh Khan ??@PunjabKingsIPL gain momentum as #LSG lose both Krunal Pandya & Nicholas Pooran!@KagisoRabada25 with the crucial breakthroughs ?
Follow the matchhttps://t.co/OHcd6Vf5zU #TATAIPL | #LSGvPBKS pic.twitter.com/LUbO5VUc75
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 15, 2023
Interestingly, on the very next delivery, Rabada also got rid of Nicholas Pooran and yet again, Shahrukh grabbed the catch. Rabada bowled a good length delivery just outside off, and Pooran went for a glory shot. It seemed the left-handed batter was looking to heave it to the shorter boundary but dragged it slightly high on the bat, with plenty of elevation and no real distance. Shahrukh got under it at deep mid-wicket and plucked a sitter.
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