The 4th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) became a thrilling encounter as every result remained possible until a couple of deliveries. The newly-appointed skipper, Sanju Samson won the toss and invited the Punjab Kings to bat first on a typical Wankhede pitch, his decision was proven right initially by Chetan Sakariya, who removed Mayank Agarwal to give his team an early breakthrough.
However, nothing much in the favor of the bowlers after that as Chris Gayle, KL Rahul, and Deepak Hooda came out all guns blazing. Punjab’s skipper Rahul seemed set for a century, although a brilliant catch in the final over from Rahul Tewatia meant that Rahul fell only nine runs short. On the back of his 50-ball 91 and Deepak Hooda’s blinder (64 from 28), the men in red posted a massive total of 221/6.
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During the chase, Rajasthan suffered an early blow as they lost Ben Stokes for a three-ball duck in Mohammad Shami’s opening over, while his partner, Manan Vohra, fell to Arshdeep Singh in the third. Rajasthan made a move on, with skipper Sanju Samson adding quick half-century partnerships with Shivam Dube and Riyan Parag after Jos Buttler’s end, although the game went down to the last over, with Rajasthan requiring 13 for the win.
Samson swung hard on the final delivery, however, he failed to connect it well as Deepak Hooda took the catch in the deep as Samson’s 119-run knock went in vain. The 4-run loss was a certain heartbreak for both the skipper and his side, as in a game of small margins, it was Punjab’s night.
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Known for his playful nature, Chris Gayle was looking as calm as possible despite the fact that as it was heading towards a tense finish. During an over break, Gayle was seen going towards Sanju Samson, wearing a serious look on his face, before he said something to Samson, which made the latter smile and banteringly push Gayle slightly away.
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As they say, there is never a dull in the presence of someone like Chris Gayle, the Universe Boss showed it again on a nervy night. The Royals will now be locking horns with the Delhi Capitals (DC) on 15th April, whereas the PBKS will face off Chennai Super Kings on the next day, both games at the same venue.
