PBKS vs RR, IPL 2021: 5 interesting stats to emerge from Match 32

Punjab Kings (PBKS) skipper KL Rahul was clearly out of words after the match. He has been there before and experienced such heartbreaks thanks to the team’s repeated habits. He now faces a daunting task to help the team qualify for the IPL 2021 playoffs.

In an extraordinary contest, PBKS failed to score four off the final over as Rajasthan Royals (RR) pulled off a heist in the 32nd match of the tournament in Dubai.

Otherwise, it was a milestone-filled day for PBKS, with KL Rahul crossing 3,000 IPL runs and Mayank Agarwal 2,000 IPL runs. The duo registered their fifth century stand in tournament history. Arshdeep Singh got his maiden IPL five-fer and the match also marked the IPL debut of the very talented Aiden Markram.

Also Check: IPL Live Score | IPL Points Table | IPL Schedule

Despite these big moments for PBKS, several other stats trumped the day. We fish out five of the most interesting ones.

---

#1 Kartik Tyagi is only the second bowler to successfully defend six runs in the final over of an IPL game

With eight wickets in hand, needing four to win, with Nicholas Pooran and Aiden Markram at the crease, RR trusted 20-year-old Kartik Tyagi with the job. He picked the wickets of Pooran and Deepak Hooda, giving away only one run.

The only other such instance in IPL history came in the 2009 edition at Durban. Coincidentally, the team to pull it off was RR. Mumbai Indians (MI) were seven down and needed four runs. Bowler Munaf Patel got a wicket off the second ball; there was a run out next ball and another off the fifth ball, which earned RR a two-run win.

#2 KL Rahul, the second-fastest to 3,000 IPL runs

The wins may elude PBKS, but their IPL captain continues to score in bulk. En route to his 33-ball 49, KL Rahul became the second-fastest in IPL history to cross the 3,000 run-mark.

Rahul, who had three off-seasons between 2013 and 15, reached the landmark in his 80th innings. The only person to get there in five fewer innings is his teammate Chris Gayle, who wasn’t picked for the match.

The Jamaican, who turned 42 on Tuesday, has played alongside KL Rahul in PBKS and also the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) franchise.

#3 KL Rahul-Mayank Agarwal century opening partnerships and PBKS losses

Good friends and teammates for Karnataka and India, KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal love batting together. For PBKS, the two have amassed five century stands, out of which four have come as opening partners. However, all four have resulted in losses.

• 120 vs RR, IPL 2021 | Lost
• 122 vs DC, IPL 2021 | Lost
• 115 vs KKR, IPL 2020 | Lost
• 183 vs RR, IPL 2020 | Lost

No other opening pair has more than one century stand in losing cause. Their only century-stand that came in a win was against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the 2019 edition. Mayank Agarwal batted at no.3 in that game.

#4 An IPL first for the Indian bowlers

PBKS bowled out RR for 185, which is the highest all-out total in IPL’s first innings. The more important bit here is that Mohammed Shami got three wickets, Arshdeep Singh a five-fer, Harpreet Brar and Ishan Porel got a wicket each. This is the first time in IPL history that Indian bowlers picked all the 10 wickets in an innings.

#5 Chris Morris bowls the most expensive over in his T20 career

In a T20 career spanning over 10 years and 231 matches, Chris Morris, the most expensive player in IPL history, went for 25 runs in his second over. That’s the most expensive over the South African has bowled in his T20 career.