In their league match against Rajasthan Royals at the Baraspara Stadium in Guwahati on Wednesday, Punjab Kings dominated proceedings from the outset. Despite being put in to bat first in the inaugural Indian Premier League game in North-east India, the visitors posted an impressive 63/0 in the powerplay, with Trent Boult and KM Asif both conceding runs to Prabhsimran Singh.
Undeterred by the onslaught, Boult returned for his second spell in the ninth over and bowled a short ball to Singh, who smashed it for six over his head. However, there was a brief delay due to issues with the sight screen at the bowler’s end. In a remarkable act of sportsmanship, Boult decided to take matters into his own hands and ran all the way to the long-on boundary to fix the screen himself.
This gesture was not only rare but also noteworthy because Boult is a fast bowler who has to cover a lot of ground while running in for every ball with intensity and speed. It is possible that the gesture was prompted by a team discussion before the game to complete their bowling innings as quickly as possible, as Boult’s teammate Jos Buttler had commented the previous night on slow over rates.
In the Indian Premier League (IPL) match in Guwahati on Wednesday, Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson won the toss and chose to field first against Punjab Kings (PBKS). Shikhar Dhawan and Prabhsimran Singh gave PBKS a fiery start, adding 63 runs in the powerplay overs.
Prabhsimran was on fire, smashing 64 off 34 balls, before being dismissed by a stunning catch from Jos Buttler, who claimed the first wicket for RR. Bhanuka Rajapaksa, who came in to bat with the captain, had to retire hurt after being hit by a ball from Dhawan. Both teams had the same playing XI as their previous encounter.