Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], March 26 (ANI): Royal Challengers (RCB) batter Dinesh Karthik has dominated the left-arm fast bowlers in the Indian Premier League (IPL) so far especially against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) seamer Sam Curran scoring more than 300 runs at an outstanding strike rate and at a brilliant average.
The Chennai-born player has slammed 309 runs so far in just 147 balls against the left-arm speedsters which is laced 31 boundaries and 19 sixes in his innings. The right-hand batter has amassed runs at a magnificent strike rate of 210.20 and at a stunning average of 51.50. He has been dismissed by a left-armer six times in the IPL.
The 38-year-old cricketer have an upper hand in the head to head battle against Curran in the IPL so far. He has smashed 65 runs in just 25 deliveries bowled by the English bowler at a marvelous strike rate of 260 with eight fours and three maximums. He has been dismissed by the Englishmen only once.
The right-hand batter played an unbeaten knock of 28 runs from just 10 balls in the match against PBKS on Monday with the help of three fours and two sixes in his innings. In this innings the 38-year-old cricketer scored runs at a strike rate of 280.
On the other hand, the left-arm seamer from England didn’t have a good outing with the ball in the match as the 25-year-old conceded 30 runs in his spell of three overs and he was able to grab only a single wicket.
Coming to the match, Virat Kohli’s batting masterclass combined with Karthik and Mahipal Lomror’s finishing touches sealed a four-wicket win for the RCB against PBKS at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru at the IPL 2024.
Put to field by RCB, Punjab Kings (PBKS) saw their batters getting starts but none of them could convert it into something big. Skipper Shikhar Dhawan (45 in 37 balls with five fours and a six), Jitesh Sharma (27 in 20 balls with a four and two sixes) and Sam Curran (23 in 17 balls) played decent knocks, but on a batting friendly Chinnaswammy, PBKS could muster only 176/6 in 20 overs.
Mohammed Siraj (2/26) and Glenn Maxwell (2/29) took two scalps each. Yash Dayal and Alzarri Joseph took a wicket each.
In the chase of 177, RCB continued to lose wickets at regular intervals, but Virat (77 in 49 balls, with 11 fours and two sixes) held the ship steady at the other end. After his dismissal, things got tricky for RCB, but finishing from Dinesh Karthik (28* in 10 balls, with three fours and two sixes) and Mahipal Lomror (17* in eight balls, with two fours and a six) guided the team to a four-wicket win with four balls left.
Harpreet Brar (2/13) and Kagiso Rabada (2/23) were the pick of the bowlers for PBKS.
Kohli was awarded the Player of the Match for marvelous innings. (ANI)
