'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAcACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABgAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQYQAAIBBAIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECBAADBhETIQUScQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAxEAAQQCAwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQMRISIAAgQFMf/aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8AyrS8oWJBiwLzeMiNwiQLPoNgOTsqCQWA6FVsgzFGKrcQgHQPFbPQ+tSlLoQFFKg2h3iBhKdnyCkiwTFJbX2TJz//2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The 27th match of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) took place between the Punjab Kings (PBKS) and the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Thursday, April 20.
Both teams had stand-in captains for the afternoon encounter at the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali. Sam Curran and Virat Kohli lead PBKS and RCB, respectively, due to injury concerns to Shikhar Dhawan and Faf du Plessis.
RCB openers once again showed their dominance by stitching together yet another mammoth partnership after being put into bat first. Kohli and du Plessis put on 137 runs for the opening wicket. However, the run-scoring was considerably slowed in the second half of the innings. The flaky RCB middle order was once again below par as their inputs could only steer the team to 174-4.
PBKS crumbled under RCB's powerplay bowling prowess. Punjab were reduced to 43-4 in the sixth over and were staring at a loss. Curran could not make an impact while Shahrukh Khan also departed early.
Wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma kept PBKS in the run chase, but his 41-run effort was not enough as RCB won the contest by 24 runs.
IPL 2023 Orange Cap updated list
Faf du Plessis gained a considerable lead at the top of the IPL 2023 Orange Cap standings. The RCB skipper, who already led the scoring charts with 259 runs prior to the encounter, now has 343 runs in six matches at a strike rate of 166.50.
Nursing a rib injury that did not allow him to field, du Plessis stepped up with the bat yet again with 84 runs off 56 deliveries.
Virat Kohli notched his fourth fifty of the season and his first one away from home. The ace batter scored 59 off 47 deliveries and has 279 runs in six matches at a strike rate of 142.34 and occupies the second spot in the run-scoring charts.
IPL 2023 Purple Cap updated list
Arshdeep Singh was instrumental in the death for PBKS during his spell of 1-34, which included the wicket of Dinesh Karthik. The left-arm seamer has nine wickets in six matches and is ranked seventh on the wicket-taking charts.
Mohammed Siraj's fine form continued as he chipped in with a brilliant spell in Mohali. As per the norm, he struck with the new ball, with his final over at the death also being crucial as he ended with stunning figures of 4-21, his best in the competition.
The right-arm pacer, the new holder of the Purple Cap, now has 12 wickets in IPL 2023 and has overtaken the likes of Yuzvendra Chahal, Mark Wood and Rashid Khan.
