IPL 2022: Punjab Kings' Bhanuka Rajapaksa calls win over RCB as 'confidence booster'

Punjab Kings' (PBKS) wicketkeeper Bhanuka Rajapaksa called his team's victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Sunday as a "confidence booster". AS IT HAPPENEDPBKS 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. "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 at the post-match presentation.

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On Sunday, Punjab Kings found the perfect opportunity to test their new recruits while chasing 206 against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. They ticked most of the boxes with the top-order batters getting to fluent starts, and the middle order quickly recovering

"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 the Mayank Agarwal-led side chased down the target in 19 overs. Both RCB and PBKS will square off with Kolkata Knight Riders in their next IPL games on March 30 and April 1, respectively.