In yet another last-ball finish, KKR defeated PBKS in a must-win encounter to keep their playoff hopes alive. Punjab Kings put a target of 180 runs for KKR to chase down, which they chased down off the final ball to secure a hard-fought win. As for the Orange Cap, it has seen two crucial changes after tonight’s nail-biter.
Shikhar Dhawan, the lone warrior for Punjab Kings
In yet another crucial encounter, Shikhar Dhawan carried the weight of the entire Punjab Kings batting line-up on his shoulders. The PBKS skipper led from the front, scoring 57 runs off 47 balls. His inning included 9 fours and a six off Sunil Narine. The second-best score on the scoreboard was of M Shahrukh Khan, who played a great cameo of 21 runs off 8 balls. This tells the kind of impact Dhawan has had on the PBKS batting lineup.
Despite playing fewer games than the rest of the batters on the Orange Cap list, Dhawan is still hanging in the 9th spot in the race. Dhawan has 349 runs to his name in 8 games at an average of 58.17. Of all the batters on the Orange Cap list, Dhawan has the best average. The left-hander missed a few games due to a minor injury but has not looked back ever since his comeback. Had he played all the games for PBKS, there was a huge chance he would have been in the top 3 for the Orange Cap race.
Rinku Singh the finisher
Batting in the lower-middle order, Rinku Singh played yet another crucial inning to take KKR home in a must-win game. When Rinku came out to bat, KKR needed 56 runs to win from 28 balls. However, there was a sense of comfort for Rinku as his partner at the other end was none other than Andre Russell. Rinku remained unbeaten on 21 off 10 balls and steered KKR home on the last ball of the game. KKR needed 2 runs to win off the final ball and Arshdeep Singh had bowled nothing but toe-crushing yorkers all through that over.
However, Rinku held onto his nerves as he hit a four off the final ball to see KKR home. After this cameo, Rinku is ranked at the 10th spot in the Orange Cap list. The stylish left-hander has 337 runs in 11 games at an impressive average of 56.17 coupled with a strike rate of 151.12.
Orange Cap list after KKR vs PBKS Match 53:
| Rank | Player | Team | Matches Played | Runs | Highest | Strike Rate | Average |
| 1. | Faf du Plessis | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 10 | 511 | 84 | 157.71 | 56.78 |
| 2. | Yashasvi Jaiswal | Rajasthan Royals | 11 | 477 | 124 | 160.60 | 43.36 |
| 3. | Shubman Gill | Gujarat Titans | 11 | 469 | 94* | 143.42 | 46.90 |
| 4. | Devon Conway | Chennai Super Kings | 11 | 458 | 92* | 139.20 | 57.25 |
| 5. | Virat Kohli | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 10 | 419 | 82* | 135.16 | 46.56 |
| 6. | Jos Buttler | Rajasthan Royals | 11 | 392 | 95 | 143.58 | 35.64 |
| 7. | Ruturaj Gaikwad | Chennai Super Kings | 11 | 384 | 92 | 148.26 | 42.67 |
| 8. | Kyle Mayers | Lucknow Super Giants | 11 | 359 | 73 | 152.11 | 32.64 |
| 9. | Shikhar Dhawan | Punjab Kings | 8 | 349 | 99* | 143.62 | 58.17 |
| 10. | Rinku Singh | Kolkata Knight Riders | 11 | 337 | 58* | 151.12 | 56.17 |
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