Nice to start on winning note: PBKS skipper Mayank Agarwal after beating RCB

Punjab Kings‘ newly appointed skipper Mayank Agarwal lauded his side’s batting after defeating Royal Challengers Bangalore by five wickets in Match-3 of the Indian Premier League 2022 at the DY Patil Stadium on Sunday.

RCB had posted 205 for 2 after being asked to bat. Captain Faf du Plessis was the top scorer for the side with a 57-ball 88, which included three boundaries and seven sixes. Virat Kohli scored 41 not out as the duo shared 118 runs for the second wicket. Mohammed Siraj was the most successful bowler for Bangalore with figures of 2/59.

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The Punjab side then chased down a target of 206 with six balls to spare. Shikhar Dhawan and Bhanuka Rajapaksa scored 43 each up the order, while M Shahrukh Khan and Odean Smith remained not out on 24 and 25 respectively as the side reached 208 for 5 in 19 overs.

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At the post-match presentation ceremony, Agarwal said, “It held up just the one or two balls, but it was a very good wicket, and it got better batting second with the dew. We held our nerve and took the right chances – I’m glad it came off.”

“I thought we gave them 15-20 more. The way Faf and Virat batted in between really took the game away from us. But I thought we did give away 15-20 more; so for us to come out and bat the way we did was really good,” he added. 

Agarwal admitted that the two points could be very important for them.

“Definitely! Two points for us is very important. Nice to start on a winning note. Very good wicket – chasing 200+ is never easy, but I thought we batted really well,” he said.