The global attention has shifted to the 2023 Cricket World Cup, with the Indian Cricket Team in cruise control at the top of the table, but our PBKS stars have been making headlines even at home.
The 2023 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy is well underway and our men from Punjab Kings have been dominating with their performances in the T20 competition. Eight out of the ten entries this week have shone in the Indian T20 competition, and here are the top performers from Punjab Kings this week -
Atharva Taide - 54(29) vs Rajasthan
Vidarbha have been dominating their opponents in Group D of the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament and their captain Atharva Taide is one of the many reasons for that. His match-winning knock of 54 from just 29 balls at the start of the innings set the tone early on against Rajasthan, which helped Vidarbha chase a target of 201 with ease.
Harpreet Bhatia - 53(42) vs Haryana
Another standout performance in the Indian domestic T20 competition, and another win for one of our own, this time with Chattisgarh. Harpreet Bhatia scored a match-winning 53 against Haryana, chasing down 163. This has resulted in Chattisgarh winning 3 out of the 5 games they’ve played so far.
Arshdeep Singh - 2/21 vs Manipur
In Group C, Punjab continued with their winning momentum after winning their contest against Manipur. It was an outstanding bowling effort by the Punjab bowlers, where Arshdeep finished with figures of 2/21, which also included 14 dot balls.
Baltej Singh - 2/15 vs Railways
The Punjab bowlers had a fruitful week where they dismantled the opposition's batting lineup twice in the space of three days. This time it was Baltej Singh against the Railways, where his 2/15 was one of the key reasons Punjab were able to restrict the opposition to 93/8 in their 20 overs.
Harpreet Brar - 3/15 vs Railways
While Baltej was effective against the Railways, it was Harpreet Brar’s performance with the ball that got Punjab the wickets of Railways’ top-order batsmen. The PBKS duo ended up taking 5 wickets between them which got the job done for Punjab.
Kagiso Rabada - 2/56 vs Netherlands
The Netherlands pulled off a giant-killing performance against South Africa in the 2023 Cricket World Cup. The one bright spot for the Proteas was Rabada continuing his fine form, picking up two crucial wickets.
Vidwath Kaverappa - 2/11 vs Madhya Pradesh
Kaverappa has been in great form lately and continues to impress. His figures of 2/11 against Madhya Pradesh helped Karnataka to a much-needed win. After bowling them out for just 76, Karnataka comfortably chased the target of 77 in 16 overs.
Matthew Short - 134 (100) vs Queensland
Matthew Short was on song against Queensland in the Marsh Cup, where his 134 helped Victoria score a mammoth 349 from their 50 overs, which eventually led to a comfortable 19-run win.
Rishi Dhawan - 2/27 vs Odisha
Rishi Dhawan caused problems with the new ball for the Odisha top order in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. His two wickets early on set the tone for Himachal Pradesh and restricted Odisha to a below-par score of 138/7 from their 20 overs. In response, Dhawan’s team chased down the total with ease, wrapping up the game inside 17 overs.
Jitesh Sharma - 51* (18) vs Uttarakhand
Wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma delivered an excellent performance with the bat in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy competition. Chasing 142 in 13 overs was always going to be a tough ask for Vidarbha, but Jitesh’s 51 from just 18 balls ensured that they chased it down with 10 balls to spare.
