Sri Lanka’s powerful and high-intent batter, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, who impressed one and all in the previous season of IPL and during the Asia Cup, has kicked off with a great start in the ongoing 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League.
PBKS made a steal deal by roping in the attacking Sri Lankan keeper-batter Bhanuka Rajapaksa last season. Rajapaksa’s fearless batting against pace and spin alike helped them counter the opposition’s bowling attack in the previous edition of the IPL.
Bhanuka Rajapaksa Destroyed Sunil Narine In One Over
And as expected, Rajapaksa registered a stunning half-century to put his side in a dominating position against Kolkata Knight Riders in the ongoing 2nd match of the IPL 2023 at the Punjab Cricket Association Cricket Stadium.
Bhanuka Rajapaksa walked out to bat at number three after opener Prabhsimran Singh departed for a breezy 23. He joined forces with skipper Shikhar Dhawan and the duo added 86 runs for the second wicket.
The Sri Lankan star reached his half-century off just 29 deliveries. During his knock, he left everyone in awe of his batting prowess as he showed his power against some high-quality bowlers like Sunil Narine.
In fact, he completely destroyed Sunil Narine in one-over during powerplay by smashing him for one six and two fours. He smashed 14 runs off just 6 balls during Narine’s over.
Watch the video where Rajapaksa destroyed Narine:
4️⃣4️⃣6️⃣ 💥
When @BhanukaRajapak3 took on Narine and got the most out of the powerplay 🔥🔥
Follow the match ▶️ https://t.co/UeBnlhdZdr#TATAIPL | #PBKSvKKR pic.twitter.com/gtwEVQYNzf
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 1, 2023
The Sri Lankan southpaw batted with remarkable intent as he ended up scoring a 32-ball 50. His knock was laced with five boundaries and two sixes. He eventually fell prey to veteran pacer Umesh Yadav. His brilliance helped PBKS touch the 100-run mark in the 10th over.
Bhanuka’s T20 stats:
It has to be noted that Rajapaksa could only manage 206 runs in nine games last season at a strike rate of 159.69. Also, the star batter has now raced to 3,919 runs in 154 T20 appearances, striking at 135-plus. The tally includes 12 fifties and a solitary century.
Brief Score Of KKR vs PBKS:
Punjab Kings posted 191/5 in 20 overs ( Rajapaksa – 50 off 32, Dhawan 40 off 29)
Kolkata Knight Riders – Umesh Yadav (4-0-27-1), Tim Southee (4-0-54-2), Sunil Narine (4-0-40-1), (Varun (4-0-25-1)
