IPL 2022: 3 best Arshdeep Singh spells in the tournament
Match 64 of IPL 2022 will see the Punjab Kings take on the Delhi Capitals at the DY Patil Cricket Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Monday.
So far this season, both IPL teams have won six and lost as many matches. When both teams faced each other earlier in the season, Delhi registered a comfortable nine-wicket win with more than nine overs to spare. However, tonight's game is crucial for both teams as the winner will get a boost in the IPL points table and increase their chances of qualifying for the IPL playoffs.
For the Capitals, David Warner has been in sublime form, supported by Rishabh Pant and Rovman Powell down the order. Kuldeep Yadav and Khaleel Ahmed have been the top performers with the ball for DC. However, the latter's inclusion in today's playing XI is dicey considering his injury.
For Punjab, Shikhar Dhawan has been the top run-scorer for the team and has been supported by Jonny Bairstow, who has scored two fifties in two consecutive games. Kagiso Rabada and Rahul Chahar have been excellent with the ball but Arshdeep Singh has simply been brilliant.
Singh has picked up 37 scalps in 35 games and has been a valuable member of the Punjab squad for some time now. Moreover, he is just a wicket away from collecting 50 scalps in T20 cricket.
With a crucial game coming up tonight, all eyes will be on Singh to deliver and take his team home. Let's take a look at three of his best bowling performances in the competition's history.
#1 3/23 - PBKS vs SRH in IPL 2020
In the 43rd game of IPL 2020, Arshdeep's spell helped Punjab defend a low score in what was a thrilling contest. Batting first, PBKS openers KL Rahul and Mandeep Singh were going steady but fell in under 40 runs. The Punjab batters soon started tumbling one after the other as no one could convert their innings into big scores.
Nicholas Pooran's 32*(28) at the death helped PBKS reach 126/7 in 20 overs. In response, SRH openers David Warner and Jonny Bairstow gave their side a great start and built a 50-run stand. However, when Warner was dismissed, things started going downhill for Hyderabad.
Arshdeep Singh completely destroyed the middle order's hopes by picking up the wickets of Vijay Shankar, Priyam Garg and Sandeep Sharma before they could go big. SRH had to fold for 114, thanks to the efforts of the Punjab bowlers.
Singh ended with his season-best figures of 3/32 in his four and PBKS won the contest by 12 runs.
Check out the most six in IPL here.
#2 5/32 - PBKS vs RR in IPL 2021
Arshdeep Singh took his IPL career-best figures in IPL 2021 in the clash against the Rajasthan Royals at the Dubai International Stadium. PBKS put RR in to bat first and the Rajasthan openers were going steady with a 50-run partnership.
That was when Arshdeep Singh stepped up and dismissed the dangerous Evin Lewis. Next, when Mahipal Lomror and Liam Livingstone were looking to build a big partnership in the middle order, Singh sent both back and brought down RR's hopes of a big score. He later returned to pick up the scalps of Chetan Sakariya and Kartik Tyagi and restricted Rajasthan to 185/10.
In response, KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal stitched a partnership of 120 runs and seemed to take Punjab home easily. However, when they both got out, Punjab failed to cross the line despite Aiden Markram and Nicholas Pooran trying their level best.
Although PBKS fell short of the target by two runs, Arshdeep Singh's efforts were lauded by the entire cricketing fraternity.
#3 2/29 - PBKS vs RR in IPL 2022
Arshdeep Singh has produced his IPL 2022 season-best (thus far) yet again, against the Rajasthan Royals. In the 52nd match, PBKS won the toss and elected to bat.
With Jonny Bairstow's half-century, Jitesh Sharma and Liam Livingstone's power-hitting at the death, PBKS posted a target of 190 for the Royals. In response, Yashasvi Jaiswal went after the Punjab bowlers and was headed towards a big score.
However, Arshdeep Singh came forward and dismissed Jaiswal at 68 (41) and later sent back Devdutt Padikkal. However, the PBKS bowlers failed to control the dangerous Shimron Hetmyer and RR crossed the line with six wickets and two balls to spare.