IPL 2020: 'It was like deja vu': Nicholas Pooran recalls the nail-biting final over

Punjab batsman Nicholas Pooran said that the last over against Bangalore was like a 'deja vu' for him. Pooran came to bat at the last ball of the innings when Punjab needed one run from the last ball. He smashed the ball for a six and handed the eight-wicket win to his side and grabbed the crucial two points.

Earlier in the tournament, Punjab got off to a similar situation in their first game against Delhi Capitals where they failed to score a single run in the last ball and the match went to Super Over where Punjab lost the game.

'It was like deja vu': Nicholas Pooran

"The last over started, it was like deja vu. Last three balls, one run it was like the Delhi game all over again but just the difference is that I was in the dugout. A million things were running in my mind, I was not clear, to be honest, what I was gonna do. I never wanted to be in that position. After sitting out for so long, I have to bat the last ball," Pooran told Mayank Agarwal in the video posted by iplt20.com.

 

A much-needed win for Punjab

Punjab skipper KL Rahul finally had something to cheer about after his team's much-needed win over Bangalore in their Dream11 IPL 2020 league match at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium by eight wickets on Thursday. Rahul played a sheet anchor's role to perfection as he scored an unbeaten match-winning 49-ball 61 at a strike rate of 124.49 including a boundary and five maximums. He was ably supported by the 'Universe Boss' Chris Gayle (45-ball 53) who was playing his first match of this season.

Even though it seemed that Punjab would lose their way in the final over after Gayle's run out, Nicholas Pooran completed the formalities by clobbering Yuzvendra Chahal into the stands on the final ball of the contest. Earlier, Bangalore were restricted to 171/6 in their 20 overs riding on skipper Virat Kohli's brilliant 39-ball 48 after winning the toss and electing to bat first on a difficult wicket. 

By the virtue of this win, the 2014 finalists did manage to snap their losing streak, but they still continue to languish at the bottom of the points table with four points from eight matches. The KL Rahul-led side will be looking to continue their winning momentum when they face the defending champions Mumbai at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai on Sunday evening. 

(Image Courtesy: BCCI/IPL)

READ: IPL 2020: 'I Don't Even Have Words' Says KL Rahul After Punjab Steal A Last-ball Thriller

(With ANI Inputs)