IPL 2022: PBKS' Rajapaksa calls win over RCB as 'confidence booster'

Punjab Kings (PBKS) wicketkeeper Bhanuka Rajapaksa called his team's victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) as a 'confidence booster'. PBKS scored 208/5 in 19 overs in reply to RCB's 205/2 to register a five-wicket win in Match-3 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, played here at the DY Patil Stadium on Sunday.

"What we thought was that we'd just have a free hit. Shikhar wanted me to be aggressive although I had just come out to the middle. I knew how Hasaranga bowls. It was about knowing him and playing him for the last 4-5 years now. I bought my local knowledge and it worked. This win is a huge confidence booster," said Rajapaksa in a post-match presentation. "We watched this movie called '14 Peaks' and we have 14 games. Every game is a batter's game. The credit should go to the bowlers to restrict them to 200. But in the middle-overs, we gave away around 130 runs in the last 8-9 overs. But I am sure the bowlers will come up with better plans in the future," he added.

Faf du Plessis' 88-run knock off 57-balls and Virat Kohli's unbeaten 41 off 29 balls went on to set a massive target for Punjab but Mayank Agarwal led side chased down the target in 19 overs. Both RCB and PBKS will be squaring off with Kolkata Knight Riders for their next IPL 2022 clash on March 30 and April 1, respectively.