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Match 27 of IPL 2023 took place at the PCA IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on Thursday, April 20, where Punjab Kings (PBKS) locked horns with the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Virat Kohli returned as RCB captain for this match, while Sam Curran captained the Kings in the absence of Shikhar Dhawan.
Curran won the toss and decided to bowl first. RCB got off to a flying start, thanks to a 137-run opening stand between Kohli and Faf du Plessis. Both batters completed their half-centuries. RCB scored 174/4 in their stipulated 20 overs.
Chasing 175 to record their second win on home turf in IPL 2023, PBKS failed to build a big partnership like Kohli and du Plessis did for the Royal Challengers. Prabhsimran Singh and Jitesh Sharma tried their best to save the day, but Punjab ended up losing the match by 24 runs.
The IPL 2023 match between the Punjab Kings and the Royal Challengers Bangalore generated a lot of buzz on social media right from the toss. Here's a look at the top three moments that earned the fans' attention during today's match.
#1 Virat Kohli comes out for the toss instead of Faf du Plessis
Virat Kohli stepped down as the Royal Challengers Bangalore captain after IPL 2021. Faf du Plessis replaced him as the skipper in 2022. Since then, du Plessis has led the Bangalore-based franchise in all their IPL matches.
However, the South African batter could not field in today's match because of a rib injury. Hence, Kohli came out for the toss and revealed that he would lead the team in the second innings, while Faf would only play as a batter in the first innings of the match.
Seeing Kohli back as a captain in the IPL after almost two years delighted many fans. He also received a loud response from the fans at the PCA IS Bindra Stadium.
#2 Mohammed Siraj's incredible direct hit
Mohammed Siraj won the Player of the Match award for his spell of 4/21 against the Punjab Kings. Apart from his bowling, Siraj also impressed the fans with his fielding.
In the sixth over of the Punjab Kings' innings, Siraj executed a magnificent direct hit from the mid-off region to dismiss Harpreet Singh at the non-striker's end. Virat Kohli was ecstatic after that dismissal.
#3 Virat Kohli meets Preity Zinta after the IPL 2023 match against PBKS
Punjab Kings co-owner Preity Zinta was present at the venue for the IPL 2023 match between PBKS and RCB earlier today. While her team could not win the match, Preity came down to the field after the match ended and had a chat with RCB's stand-in captain Kohli.
Photos from their chat went viral on social media. This is not the first time a Bollywood star interacted with Kohli in IPL 2023. Earlier this season, Kolkata Knight Riders co-owner Shah Rukh Khan was spotted having a chat with the star batter.
