On April 9, the unbeaten Punjab Kings (PBKS) face the bottom-of-the-table Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.
On April 9, the unbeaten Punjab Kings (PBKS) and the last-place Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will face off at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. One of only two teams with a perfect record this season, Punjab Kings defeated Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2023 Match 8 at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati to make it two wins in a row.
Following an explosive start by Prabhsimran Singh (60 off 34), captain Shikhar Dhawan took the initiative with a superbly timed 86* off 56 balls as PBKS built a respectable 197/4. After Hetmyer (36 off 18) and Dhruv Jurel (32* off 15) had led RR’s comeback, Nathan Ellis then bowled an effective spell of 4/30 while Curran maintained his composure and protected 16 off the final over to help PBKS win by five runs in a tense finish. Dhawan will be hoping that his club can pick up another victory and further humiliate the already struggling SRH team.
Given that everyone of his batters made a positive impact on the scoreboard, hitting coach Wasim Jaffer would be pleased with their performance.
Prior to the 2023 season, Prabhsimran Singh, a member of the PBKS team since 2019, had only participated in six games. Due to Bairstow’s injury, Prabhsimran was given the chance to take up the opener’s position alongside Dhawan, and he has seized that chance with both hands.
In the last match, Punjab got off to a rousing start thanks to Prabhsimran, who pounded Rajasthan’s bowlers with seven fours and three sixes in the opening 10 overs to reach his first IPL half-century off 28 balls. He and captain Shikhar Dhawan put up the opening stand’s 90 runs in just 61 balls.
Liam Livingston’s comeback will also help the PBKS hitting. The powerful English hitter might go to India in time to play against Gujarat Titans on April 13 after making his injury comeback. In the later stages of the competition, he can have a significant impact on the team’s push for the postseason. They will also be hoping that Bhanuka Rajapaksa, who made a half-century in the season opener, won’t be sidelined for an extended period of time. In the previous game, Rajapaksa had to leave the field hurt after being struck on the elbow by a Shikhar Dhawan shot.
This season, Arshdeep Singh and Nathan Ellis have each taken five wickets, which is impressive.
Sam Curran, the most expensive player in IPL history, will be expected to do better by PBKS. He has played two unimpressive games this season, scoring 27 runs with the bat, and has only claimed Russell once this year, with an economy rate of above 11.
