DC vs PBKS: Kuldeep Yadav shares Player-of-the-Match award with Axar Patel

In a heartfelt gesture, Kuldeep Yadav shared his Player-of-the-Match award with his teammate and left-arm spinner Axar Patel. To note, Kuldeep Yadav was adjudged the Player of the Match for his excellent bowling spell during the group stage match against Punjab Kings (PBKS). The left-arm wrist-spinner grabbed two wickets and gave away only 24 runs in his four-over quota.

Left-arm spinner Axar Patel also scalped a total of two wickets and gave away only 10 runs in his four-over quota. However, the IPL management committee decided to name Kuldeep as a Player of the Match for scalping wickets of Kagiso Rabada and Nathan Ellis.

Axar Patel took some crucial wickets and deserved the award: Kuldeep Yadav

“First of all, thank you so much, but I want to share my Man of the Match award with Axar Patel. He has bowled brilliantly and he has taken some crucial wickets during the middle phase overs. According to me, he (Axar) deserved the award, but I want to share the award with him,” Kuldeep said during the post-match presentation.

.@imkuldeep18 💗pic.twitter.com/RMicokgLCY

— CricTracker (@Cricketracker) April 20, 2022

Coming back to the match, DC completely trashed Punjab Kings in the group stage match played at the Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai on April 20 (Wednesday). DC was the better side in all three departments of the game as they mauled PBKS by nine wickets.

DC skipper Rishabh Pant won the toss and opted to have a bowl first. His decision was proved right by the bowlers, as PBKS were bowled out at a score of 115 in their allotted 20 overs. Kuldeep, Khaleel Ahmed, Lalit Yadav, and Axar Patel scalped two wickets each for DC.

For PBKS, young batter Jitesh Sharma was the top run-getter making 32 off 23 balls. Captain Mayank Agarwal (24 off 15 balls), Shahrukh Khan (12 off 20 balls), and Rahul Chahar (12 off 12 balls) were the only batters to reach the double figures.

In reply, it was a completely dominant show by DC batters as  Prithvi Shaw (41 off 20 balls), and David Warner (60* off 30 balls) thrashed the PBKS bowlers during the field restrictions. Spinner Rahul Chahar was the only successful bowler for the Kings as he scalped the wicket of Shaw.