Shikhar Dhawan was at his absolute best when Sanju Samson's Rajasthan Royals (RR) squared off against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 on Wednesday. Runners-up in the previous edition of the cash-rich league, Rajasthan Royals were hoping to record their second-straight win in the IPL 2023 at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium. However, RR's bid was thwarted by skipper Dhawan, who played a sizzling knock against the 2008 winners to extend Punjab's unbeaten run in the IPL 2023.
After Rajasthan Royals played out another thrilling match with Punjab Kings in the cash-rich league, Samson engaged in a fun banter with PBKS captain Dhawan on social media. Taking to Twitter following Punjab's pulsating win over Rajasthan, Samson stumped Dhawan with a hilarious query. “Paaji, har baar itne tight matches kyun? (Brother, why do we have such tight matches every time?)," Samson said in his tweet. Samson's internet-breaking tweet soon became the talk of the town on Twitter.
Talking about the match, PBKS opener Dhawan enjoyed a fruitful partnership with youngster Prabhsimran Singh. Punjab skipper Dhawan smashed 86 off 56 balls while Prabhsimran played a sublime knock of 60 off 34 balls. Half-centuries from Prabhsimran and Dhawan guided Punjab Kings to a challenging total of 197-4 in 20 overs. In reply, Samson played an entertaining knock of 42 off 25 balls while Impact Player Dhruv Jurel remained unbeaten on 32 off 15 balls. However, Samson and Jurel's batting heroics went in vain as Nathan Ellis-inspired PBKS defeated RR by 5 runs in the final-over thriller.
{{/usCountry}}Talking about the match, PBKS opener Dhawan enjoyed a fruitful partnership with youngster Prabhsimran Singh. Punjab skipper Dhawan smashed 86 off 56 balls while Prabhsimran played a sublime knock of 60 off 34 balls. Half-centuries from Prabhsimran and Dhawan guided Punjab Kings to a challenging total of 197-4 in 20 overs. In reply, Samson played an entertaining knock of 42 off 25 balls while Impact Player Dhruv Jurel remained unbeaten on 32 off 15 balls. However, Samson and Jurel's batting heroics went in vain as Nathan Ellis-inspired PBKS defeated RR by 5 runs in the final-over thriller.
{{/usCountry}}"We started off really well, we finished the powerplay really well. In the middle overs, we were expecting to get the boundaries here and there but they bowled really well. That's where I think the momentum went a bit down. We did well to get so close also after the fall in our run rate. We just fell short of a six, just one ball hit away," Samson told reporters at the post-match press conference.