The second match of the ongoing Indian Premier League 2023 (IPL 2023) ended with rain where Punjab Kings won by 7 runs (DLS method) over Kolkata Knight Riders. Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali hosted the game where put into bat first, Punjab Kings managed to post a huge total of 191 in their allotted 20 overs. Shikhar Dhawan scored 40 whereas Bhanuka Rajapaksa smashed a half-century as well.

While chasing, KKR lost 3 wickets within the powerplay and never really looked comfortable in the chase until Venkatesh Iyer and Andre Russell did some late onslaught. They scored 34 and 35 runs respectively but failed to take the team home as rain played the spoilsport after 16 overs. And, Punjab Kings won the game in the DLS method as well.

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Here is what the captains and the player of the match said after the game:

Shikhar Dhawan, PBKS captain said as quoted by Cricbuzz: It’s a great feeling to start the tournament with a win, we’ll try to take the momentum in the next game and carry that confidence ahead. According to the situation I used those bowlers, good thing we have got plenty of bowlers in the side. I knew Raza was going to be handy against the left-handers, so he gave us three quality overs. Also have experienced bowlers like Sam Curran and Arshdeep in the side. Wanted to be aggressive and at the same time smart. Was trying to hold one end, and if I got out, someone else would do that. They are youngsters and they are learning. We all are living our dream and we should be happy about it. As a leader I make sure the team stays relaxed and in a happy state of mind.

Nitish Rana, KKR captain said as quoted by Cricbuzz: Was thinking of using Anukul with the ball but didn’t find the right situation for it. Russell not bowling at the death wasn’t because of any injury issue. I just felt like going with my five main bowlers. They batted well, judged the wicket better than us. Anything could’ve happened if the rain didn’t arrive. Venkatesh got out unfortunately as we were trying to get ahead on DLS. The shot was on. Overall it was a good game. Plenty of learnings from it. It’s only the first game of the season.

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Arshdeep Singh, Player of the Match said as quoted by Cricbuzz: I tried to be unpredictable. The wicket was good for batting so I was mixing it up. (On giving a stare to Anukul Roy after getting his wicket) He was my batch mate in under-19 cricket. He started to hit me straightaway so I wanted to show aggression. He was also showing aggression so my aggression also came out a bit. Players are expecting that I will bowl yorkers so I tried to surprise them a bit by bowling bouncers. There was some rain around so the wicket had become skiddy, so I was using making use of the conditions on offer. I am enjoying myself and the atmosphere in the dressing room is very good. Going ahead, we will try to keep enjoying and keep winning games for our side. (On Shikhar Dhawan) He has created a very good atmosphere amongst us and we are loving it.