Punjab Kings began their 193-run chase in the ongoing game against Mumbai Indians in disastrous fashion. They lost the wicket of Prabhsimran Singh in the first over.
In the second over, MI spearhead Jasprit Bumrah struck twice. He first bowled Rilee Rossouw cleanly for one before dismissing PBKS captain Sam Curran for six to reduce PBKS to 14 for 3. Even before the hosts could add any runs to their score, Gerald Coetzee dismissed Liam Livingstone for one to leave them reeling at 14 for 4 in the third.
Shashank Singh and Harpreet Singh Bhatia stopped the rot. The duo ensured that PBKS did not lose any more wickets in the powerplay. However, before they could take their team to a position of strength, Shreyas Gopal put in a brilliant effort and ended the partnership. He returned Bhatia for 13 by catching his bowling and reduced PBKS to 49 for 5 in the seventh over.
On the fifth ball of the over, Shreyas Gopal bowled a short delivery just outside off stump. Bhatia read the length of the ball correctly as he rocked back on the back foot. However, he was unable to keep his shot on the ground as he hit the ball toward the pitcher.
At the same time, it seemed like he would be safe as the ball seemed out of the pitcher’s reach. However, Gopal showed remarkable reflexes as he lunged towards his left and completed a stunning two-handed catch.
Check out Shreyas Gopal’s screenshot:
pic.twitter.com/rnn80NoVtq
– Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka (@Hanji_CricDekho) April 18, 2024
At the time of writing this report, PBKS were 77 for 5 in the 10th over. Shashank Singh and Jitesh Sharma, in top form, battled in the middle for the home team. Early in the game, a brilliant 78-run knock by Suryakumar Yadav propelled Mumbai Indians to 192/7 in 20 overs after they were asked to bat first. Apart from him, Rohit Sharma (36) and Tilak Varma (34*) also played crucial knocks.