IPL 2022 LIVE: Punjab Kings’ all-rounder Odean Smith hogged the limelight in this season’s IPL with his destructive batting against Royal Challengers Bangalore recently at DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai.
RCB posted a massive total of 205/2 in their quota of 20 overs. Faf du Plessis led the batting attack by example as he scored 88 off 57 balls with the help of 3 fours and 7 hits over the fence.
Virat Kohli scored 41 off 29 balls including 1 four and 2 sixes as RCB set up a perfect target. However, Punjab Kings had all the firepower and ammunition to chase down the target.
PBKS kick-started their campaign on a winning note as they beat RCB by 5 wickets with an over to spare. The Punjab-based franchise aced the run-chase with the help of the collective efforts of the players.
The openers namely Shikhar Dhawan and Mayank Agarwal got off to a blistering start which set the tone for PBKS. They added 71 runs for the first wicket before captain Mayank Agarwal departed for 32.
Shikhar Dhawan and Bhanuka Rajapaksa scored 43 apiece as PBKS looked steady in the run-chase. Despite losing the set batsmen, they still found support from the middle-order batters.
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IPL 2022 LIVE: Odean Smith says Andre Russell has been his inspiration
Odean Smith might have played only 8 deliveries but he did make his presence count on the field by playing a fearless brand of cricket. The West Indies all-rounder showcased his true strength in the three-match T20I series against India.
He looked quite comfortable in generating immense bat speed against the deliveries he faced throughout the series. Punjab Kings did the right thing by signing him for 6 crores on Day 2 of the mega auction in Bengaluru.
Odean Smith proved to be destructive with the bat as he scored 25 off a mere 8 deliveries. He hammered a flurry of three sixes followed by a boundary with a strike rate of 312.50.
Punjab Kings pulled off the ropes with such ease against RCB. Meanwhile, PBKS cricketer Odean Smith said that Andre Russell has been his inspiration. He further added that he has a similar style to that of Andre Russell.
“I think Andre Russell is one of those I have looked up to. We have a similar role to play in most T20 games and in terms of bowling fast and then hitting a few boundaries at the back end of the innings.
“He has been an inspiration to me. I think he will always be that inspiration to drive me to go forward,” Odean told NDTV. “I have a lot of work to do and as a team, we have the stuff to do,” he further added.
