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Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) were cruising in their run-chase before Yuzvendra Chahal turned the game on its head with four quick wickets. Punjab Kings (PBKS) defeated KKR by 16 runs, pulling off one of the greatest heists in IPL history by defending a paltry total of just 111 to stun KKR in Mullanpur.
Yuzvendra Chahal led the charge with a masterclass in spin bowling, picking up key wickets at crucial moments.
Shreyas Iyer brought Yuzvendra Chahal into the attack in the eighth over, and the veteran spinner struck in his first over. Chahal trapped Rahane, who didn’t take the review and walked back. If Rahane had gone to the third umpire, he would have survived, as the impact was outside the off-stump.
“I will take the blame as the captain of the team. I played the wrong shot; it was missing, but still, I will take the blame. Angkrish Raghuvanshi was not very sure; he said probably it could be umpire’s call. I wasn’t sure as well, and that was the discussion,” Rahane said at the post-match presentation.
In his next over, Chahal, who is battling a shoulder injury, got the wicket of the set batter, Angkrish Raghuvanshi.
“What about Chahal? Simply outstanding. He had a fitness test before this game, with a shoulder injury he picked up in the previous game. I had a chat with him, and he told me, ‘coach, I am absolutely fine,'” said coach Ricky Ponting.
Chahal was on a hat-trick in his third over as he dismissed Rinku Singh and Ramandeep Singh.
However, his spell was somewhat spoilt by Andre Russell, who hit two sixes and one boundary in his last over. Chahal finished with magical bowling figures of 4 for 28.
Earlier, Punjab Kings were bowled out for a mere 111 in 15.3 overs. Skipper Shreyas Iyer’s (0) early dismissal sparked the collapse after PBKS’s bright start, which saw their openers Priyansh Arya (22) and Prabhsimran Singh (30) adding 39 runs in 3.1 overs.
For KKR, India pacer Harshit Rana took 3/25, Varun Chakravarthy claimed 2/21, and Sunil Narine bagged 2/14.
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