As the table-toppers were forced to bat first, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru bowlers came out all guns blazing in the Qualifier 1 match against the Punjab Kings on Thursday at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Chandigarh, Mullanpur, as they suffered a collapse to go five down inside the first 39 balls. As none of the top five batsmen were able to score more than eight runs, Prabhsimran Singh was the only one who managed to reach a double-digit total.

One of the victims of the team's collapse on Thursday was Captain Shreyas Iyer, who has led Punjab to their first playoff qualification in 11 years and has been in perfect touch throughout the season. Josh Hazlewood, who was making his comeback to the starting lineup for the first time since the season started earlier this month, struck him out for only two runs on three deliveries.

As the ball landed hard and gained the extra bounce, Hazlewood brought it into the channel, immediately outside the off and on length. Iyer attempted a massive swing, but he just missed the outside edge, and wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma completed the remainder of the game behind the stumps. In all T20 encounters between Iyer and the Australian pacer, Iyer has been out four times, scoring only nine runs in 20 deliveries during the five innings of the match.

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar was enraged by the dismissal in the commentary box. "Not a good shot at all," he said. "A nothing shot." Seconds later, in the locker room, PBKS head coach Ricky Ponting was seen having a heated discussion with Iyer, and the Australian legend appeared to be quite disappointed by the collapse.

Punjab's collapse at home

The league stage of the competition saw PBKS finish at the top of the table, making them one of the strongest batting teams overall. They were also popular in the competition due to the comfort of their homes. However, RCB had done their research and defeated Punjab at the same location in April.

Punjab fell seven wickets for only 65 runs within the ninth over, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar taking one wicket and Suyash Sharma, Hazlewood, and Yash Dayal each picking two wickets.

Read Also: Sharma’s Catch of the Season Sends Punjab Packing in Qualifier 1 vs RCB

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