IPL match is being held in Mohali for the first time after 3 years and in the very first match, Punjab batsman Bhanuka Rajapaksa entertained the fans of his team and gave them a chance to celebrate.
Image Credit source: BCCI
Mohali: IPL 2023 season has started and that means no matter how big or small a player is, he will have to deal with ups and downs for the next two months. A view of this was also seen in the second match of the season, where West Indies veteran spinner Sunil Narine was thrashed. Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders In this match Naren was hit a lot by only one batsman. This Punjab batsman thrilled the fans of Punjab present at the Mohali Stadium by scoring a half-century in just 30 balls.
The fans of Mohali, who were deprived of the thrill of IPL for three consecutive seasons, got a chance to see the best batting of their team in the new season. Punjab captain Shikhar Dhawan and local star Prabhsimran Singh created an atmosphere against Kolkata Knight Riders but Bhanuka Rajapaksa from Sri Lanka stole the show. This left-handed batsman took Punjab’s innings forward in a bang.
read this also: PBKS vs KKR: Training taken in Pakistani Airforce, weak eyes made cricketer, now debut in IPL
Rajapaksa beats up Naren
Bhanuka Rajapaksa, who came to the crease in the third over, tested the pitch and the conditions for three-four balls and then made a hue and cry. He first made KKR’s biggest weapon Sunil Narine his victim. In the over of Naren, who came to bowl in the fifth over, Rajapaksa hit two consecutive fours and then hit a high-long six on the last ball.
Naren again came to bowl in the eighth over and this time Rajapaksa scored 9 runs including fours in five balls. In this way, Rajapaksa scored 23 runs in 11 balls against Naren.
4️⃣4️⃣6️⃣ ????
When @BhanukaRajapak3 Took on Narine and got the most out of the powerplay ????????
Follow the match ▶️ https://t.co/UeBnlhdZdr#TATAIPL , #PBKSvKKR pic.twitter.com/gtwEVQYNzf
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 1, 2023
read this also: Hunted 3 times in 6 balls, 22 year old bowler cut by Warner, Lucknow’s weapon will work again
hit a blistering half century
Rajapaksa targeted not only Naren, but other Kolkata bowlers as well. In this way, he completed his half-century in just 30 balls. However, he could not take his innings much further and lost his wicket on the ball of Umesh Yadav. He hit 50 runs in 32 balls, which included 5 fours and 2 sixes.