Punjab Kings defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by five wickets in match 45 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 in Dubai. With this win, PBKS have got themselves right back into the playoff race and are one of the three teams fighting for fourth place while being level on 10 points. KL Rahul was once again the star for Punjab, leading them to another win. IPL 2021 Points Table Updated.

After being asked to bat first, KKR were pegged back early following Shubman Gill's wicket but yet another half-century by Venkatesh Iyer saw them take control of the game. However, KKR kept losing wickets in the final period of the game and were unable to capitalize on a good position but still managed to post a competitive score. VIVO IPL 2021 Orange Cap Holder List: KL Rahul Tops List of Batsmen With Most Runs in Indian Premier League Season 14.

Chasing the score, Punjab Kings were again given a great start by openers KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal as they again added a 50+ run stand, with the skipper scoring yet another half-century. And despite losing wickets at the end, PBKS weer able to get over the line. Meanwhile, here are some stats from KKR vs PBKS, IPL 2021 clash.

# Venkatesh Iyer scored his 2nd IPL half-century

# Iyer (67) registered his highest individual score in IPL

# Venkatesh Iyer (193) has scored the most runs for KKR after five IPL games

# KL Rahul scored his 26th IPL fifty

# Tim Seifert made his IPL debut for KKR

# Nicholas Pooran played his 200th T20 game

With all still to play for heading into the final three games of the competition, both teams will be focusing on their upcoming assignments. Kolkata Knight Riders face off against bottom places SRH in their next fixture. Meanwhile, Punjab Kings take on playoff-bound Royal Challengers Bangalore at Sharjah.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 01, 2021 11:58 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).