Chris Gayle scored 46 runs off 24 balls against RCB in an IPL 14 encounter.
Punjab Kings (PBKS) skipper KL Rahul lauded Harpreet Singh Brar’s all-around performance that helped the team beat Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in an IPL 2021 encounter on Friday (April 30).
Punjab Kings defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore by 34 runs in their seventh match of IPL 14 at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.
Invited to bat, PBKS on account of skipper KL Rahul’s 91*, Chris Gayle’s 46 and a cameo of 25* by Harpreet Singh Brar, in the end, posted a total of 179 runs.
Defending the target, KL Rahul-led side comprehensively defeated RCB by an inspired bowling performance. Young Harpreet Singh Brar emerged as a star performer with the ball. He along with leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi combined to take 5 wickets.
Brar finished with stunning figures of 3-19, picking up the scalps of RCB skipper Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers and helped his side achieve a must needed victory by 34 runs.
Talking at the post-match presentation, PBKS skipper KL Rahul said that they were preparing Harpreet Singh Brar and on a pitch, at Ahmedabad, they needed a finger spinner who could hit hard lengths, which he did.
"We were preparing Brar. On a pitch like this, we felt like we needed a finger spinner who could hit hard lengths. He did exactly that and batted really well in the end as well. I am young myself, but I have been trying to speak to the boys and pass on whatever experience I have of IPL and international cricket," KL Rahul said during the post-match presentation.
KL Rahul elaborated on his responsibility of helping youngsters like Harpreet Brar to adjust to the intense pressures of the IPL. He also expressed his delight in the performances.
Speaking in the same breath, KL Rahul attributed his team's recent record against RCB to the must-win nature of the matches.
"They are blessed with enormous talent and we have to prepare them for the situations and the pressures they'd face in the middle as the captain and the support staff. Really makes me and the support staff very happy.
“There is nothing in particular against RCB, but all matches against them have been must-win games for us because of when they come in the tournament,” he said.
Rahul while talking about his knock of 91* runs said that it was important for him to lead from the front. He further added that Chris Gayle keeps getting better and better with time and despite batting at an unusual position of No.3 he gives his best for the team and takes the pressure off him at the top.
"It was important for me to lead from the front and that's what I try to do every game. When I have the opportunity to put pressure on bowlers and set targets, I try to do it to the best of my ability. It came off well today. There is a lot written about Gayle, about his age and whether he should be playing.
“But I know as a captain, just his impact he has when he walks out is huge. I have played with him for 7-8 years and he keeps getting better and better. He is batting at three, something he hasn't done ever in his career, but he'll do that for the team. That's the kind of man Chris is. He takes the pressure off me at the top," he said.
With 34 runs victory over RCB, PBKS are now placed 5th on the points table. They will next face Delhi Capitals (DC) on 2nd May at Ahmedabad.
(India Today inputs)