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'Rain saved them from lord Thakur' - Fans react to Punjab's victory against Kolkata in rain-interrupted Indian T20 League 2023 encounter

Punjab were able to start their Indian T20 League campaign on a high as they completed a 7-run victory over Kolkata

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Arshdeep Singh

Arshdeep Singh

Arshdeep Singh Arshdeep Singh

Punjab overcame Kolkata to earn their first victory in the competition. In a game affected by rain, Bhanuka Rajapaksa's scorching half-century led the hosts to a significant score before Arshdeep Singh caused the damage to Kolkata with the ball.

How did the first match of the doubleheader pan out?

Despite losing the toss and getting to bat first, Shikhar Dhawan's team dominated the opening two overs of the game due to Prabhsimran Singh's brutal attack. Tim Southee, the seasoned Kiwi pacer, was the victim of a careless shot that ultimately proved fatal. The hosts continued to grow stronger, taking runs against their bowlers, so the youngster’s dismissal did not bother them much. 

Bhanuka Rajapaksa faced off against seasoned Caribbean bowler Sunil Narine to establish Punjab's superiority in the game. The Southpaw left the field in the second part of the innings after scoring a quick fifty as Rishi Dhawan came in as the Impact player. 

However, the visitors' issues with the ball persisted as Jitesh Sharma maintained the scoring pace after Rajapaksa's dismissal by scoring 21 runs off just 11 deliveries. After Jitesh and his captain Dhawan were quickly dismissed, the two-time champions were able to stage a comeback into the game. Before Sam Curran and Shahrukh Khan's hard riposte propelled Punjab to 191 runs in their 20 overs, it appeared as though they would have a lacklustre end. 

Arshdeep Singh's first over of the match resulted in the dismissal of Mandeep Singh and Anukul Roy, giving Kolkata a shaky start in their chase of a difficult total. Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who was in excellent form, was dismissed in the first six overs of the chase as well, which made things worse for the guests.

Along with captain Nitish Rana, Venkatesh Iyer, who was brought in as the Impact Player to replace Varun Chakaravarthy, guided the Kolkata comeback. The break worked for the host team, though, as the Kolkata captain was dismissed by Sikandar Raza during the tenth over. As the strain mounted on the visitors, Rinku Singh was the next to leave.

The end was surely near for Kolkata, as Punjab completely dominated their rivals. Andre Russell spearheaded the Pen in Purple's comeback with one of his usually aggressive innings. But in the second game of the tournament, his dismissal by Sam Curran appeared like the death rattle.

Fans react to a great win for Punjab over Kolkata in a rain-curtailed game in the Indian T20 League: -