‘Was really nice to see him finish things off’ – Anil Kumble extols Shahrukh Khan for match-winning knock against LSG

Former Punjab Kings (PBKS) coach Anil Kumble lauded Shahrukh Khan’s blazing cameo against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) which led to their third win of IPL 2023. Notably, Punjab narrowly won the contest by two wickets and three balls remaining against KL Rahul and Co. at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Saturday, April 15.

LSG posted a respectable first innings score of 159 runs after KL Rahul produced an impressive performance with 74 runs off 56 balls to his name. In reply, Punjab kept losing wickets at regular intervals as debutant Yudhvir Singh Charak dismissed another debutant and opener, Atharva Taide and Prabhsimran Singh, respectively. Matthew Short pitched in and got a few boundaries to revive the chase but was eventually sent packing for 34 runs.

In came Sikandar Raza, who anchored the innings to register a 41-ball 57 to keep PBKS steady in the contest. However, it was Shahrukh Khan, who injected momentum into the innings with the big runs and steered the side to a win with his quickfire knock of an unbeaten 23 runs off 10 balls. Former cricketer, Anil Kumble heaped praise on the batter who came in during the crunch moment and won the game for his side.

This will give him a lot of confidence going into the latter half of the tournament

Speaking of Khan's match-winning cameo, legendary Indian player Anil Kumble lauded the youngster's brave knock and finishing abilities while playing under pressure. 

“He is a finisher. That is what he does for Tamil Nadu in the games he’s played for them and it was really nice to see him finish things off. In the previous game as well, he had a cameo right at the end. But this one was under pressure,” Kumble said on JioCinema.

“They had to get almost 10 runs an over in the last two overs, with Harpreet Brar on the other end and Sikander Raza got out in the previous over. That was a well-made 23 to finish things off for Punjab. This will give him a lot of confidence going into the latter half of the tournament,” he added.

PBKS earned their third win of the season out of their five games after prevailing against LSG. The side will play Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the PCA IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on Thursday, April 20.