Kolkata Knight Riders again gave us a rollercoaster ride of a match in IPL 2023.
It was a nail-biting finish, and KKR emerged victorious thanks to Rinku Singh's heroics.
After losing Skipper Nitish Rana, KKR faced the daunting task of scoring 51 runs off 24 balls.
With the pressure mounting, Andre Russell decided to unleash his fury.
Punjab Kings Captain Shikhar Dhawan tried to counterattack by bringing back his best bowler Nathan Ellis, but Russell wasn't fazed. He hammered Ellis for 15 runs and then went on to smash three more sixes in the penultimate over off Sam Curran, changing the game's momentum in KKR's favour.
The match was at its climax as Kolkata needed 6 runs off the last over. Arshdeep Singh took it down to the wire, with Kolkata needing 2 runs off the final delivery.
Rinku kept his composure and smashed a boundary, while Arshdeep missed his mark with the yorker, resulting in a flick behind square for four!
Did Dhawan's captaincy cost PBKS the game?
Over the last four games, Dhawan's captaincy has puzzling, with several questionable decisions.
One such decision was Harpreet Brar being given just one over after picking up Jason Roy's wicket and conceding only 4 runs. Harpreet wasn't brought back to bowl despite the pitch being favourable for spin.
Another Dhawan decision was giving Liam Livingstone two overs, which broke Punjab's momentum. When Livingstone came back for his second over, Rana hit him for 4, 4 and 6 off the first three deliveries of the 11th over to put the chase back on track.
Dhawan could have opted for Harpreet or Rahul Chahar instead of persisting with Livingstone.
Did PBKS miss a trick by not utilising Brar's spin more effectively?
Dhawan then chose to bowl out Nathan Ellis early, even though he was bowling well, and Sam Curran, who was having a poor day with the ball, at the death. This backfired and cost Punjab the game.
Also, the team's decision to drop Sikandar Raza for two consecutive matches has cost PBKS dearly.
With just 5 wins from 11 games, Punjab's chances of making it to the playoffs have taken a big hit. The remaining matches will be crucial and PBKS can't afford to slip up.
