The start of August has been something to cherish for our PBKS players. While quite a few had their moments during the week, it is this particular set of players that truly stood out with their performances.
The pick of the bunch have made our list of who have shone over the week and some of the names might come as a surprise to fans.
Matt Short - 73 (36) vs Southern Brave
It’s the tall Australian batter, to begin with. With the ongoing ‘The Hundred’ Men’s competition, Northern Superchargers took on Southern Brave at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton.
Short was the top scorer of the match, with his 73-run knock proving to be the deciding factor of the game. The right-hander smashed 8 fours and 4 sixes on his way to an exhilarating half-century.
Short alongside Harry Brook(63), with their respective half-centuries, helped their team cross the line in what could be a pivotal result going ahead in the tournament.
Arshdeep Singh - 2/31 vs West Indies
While India might have lost the encounter against West Indies in the first T20I, there were some positives to take away from the game. PBKS’ Arshdeep Singh played a vital role in restricting the men from the Caribbean to a decent total of 149 for 6.
With an economy rate of 7.80, Arshdeep proved to be the shining light in what was a tough day at the office for the Indian team.
Sikandar Raza - 2/15 vs Vancouver Knights
Another PBKS player who was unfortunately on the wrong end of the result, Sikandar Raza nonetheless played a sensational role for Toronto Nationals. Having excelled with both bat and ball earlier in the tournament, the stage was set for Raza to show his wares once again.
Though he did not make an impact with the bat, the Zimbabwean all-rounder capped off another brilliant performance with the ball with figures of 2/15.
Bhanuka Rajapaksa - 48 (34) vs Dambulla Aura
In a match that went right down to the wire, Bhanuka Rajapaksa played a vital role in a Super Over win for the Galle Titans. A match of fine margins was eventually decided which set of players had cooler nerves and it was Galle Titans who prevailed over Dambulla Aura.
The Sri Lankan batter played a steady knock of 48 from 34 balls, smashing boundaries all over the park. Then in the Super Over, Bhanuka scored 5 runs that included a boundary in the Super Over and took his team over the line in a thrilling victory.
Nathan Ellis - 2/31 vs Oval Invincibles
It was another day of Ellismania, with Nathan Ellis going out of his way to contain the Invincibles after the Spirits set a modest target.
A run chase of 132 was always going to be difficult to defend, but Ellis did his best with 2 big wickets to make things hard for the Invincibles.
Vidwath Kaverappa - 2/61 vs East Zone
Vidwath Kaverappa continued his terrific run in domestic cricket as he helped South Zone defend their mammoth total of 328 against East Zone in the Deodhar Trophy final.
East Zone eventually came close to getting to their target, but Kaverappa and Co. made sure they got the job done without any last-moment hiccups. The right-arm pacer from Karnataka finished with figures of 2/61 to help the South seal the deal.
