Want to keep the intent, aggression going: Dhawan after win over RR

GUWAHATI: After winning the consecutive 2nd match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, Punjab Kings (PBKS) skipper Shikhar Dhawan said that he wants to keep the intent and aggression going in the upcoming matches also.

With the help of Dhawan and opener Prabhsimran Singh's half-centuries, Punjab Kings put up a challenging target of 197 which Rajasthan Royals (RR) failed to chase down and suffered a 5 runs defeat in the thrilling last over at Assam Cricket Association Stadium in Guwahati. Punjab skipper scored 86 off 56 balls.

"We want to keep the momentum going as we got a good batting line-up. We respect the opponents' bowlers but want to keep the intent and aggression going," Dhawan said in a post-match presentation.

Despite RR impact player Dharuv Jurel's unbeaten knock of 32 in just 15 balls, Rajasthan did not accomplish the score as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. However, the match went to the last over and it was a close win for Punjab.

"There were some nervous moments, I was trying to keep my calm and discussing plans with my bowlers. Was happy with the score we put up." Shikhar added.

In the bowling unit, pacer Nathan Elllis did the job for Punjab by taking four wickets and giving only 30 runs. Fast bowler Arshdeep Singh also took 2 early wickets of RR openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ravichandran Ashwin.

Talking about Punjab's bowling performance, Shikhar added, "We scored 197 and my bowlers taking those early wickets and then Nathan came in and bowled supebly."

Winning the second match of the tournament, Punjab's skipper said that the win was a team effort.

"It was a full team effort. These 2 games we got a great start, Prabh did really well and I tried my best to increase my strike rate."

Punjab skipper said Punjab Kings will play their next match against Sunrisers Hyderabad at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad on Sunday.