New Delhi: The Sher-e-Punjab T20 League may not be generating much buzz, but what happened on the field immediately after Tuesday’s match was highly entertaining and a sight to behold. Prabhasimran Singh, the captain of one of the teams and a well-known IPL wicketkeeper-batter, was seen breaking into Bhangra after his team secured a thrilling victory. His exuberant celebration won the hearts of his own teammates, opposition players and all the spectators.
We have often seen players dance on the field to celebrate a wicket or victory, but the Punjabi favourite, Bhangra, is rarely seen in cricket. Legendary off-spinner Harbhajan Singh occasionally treated fans to such celebrations during his international and IPL career.
The match in question was played on September 8 in the Sher-e-Punjab League between Jalandhar Warriors and Ludhiana Lions. Jalandhar posted 169/8, with Gaurav Markan scoring 52, Aryan Yadav remaining unbeaten on 35 and captain Prabhasimran Singh scoring 39.
In reply, Ludhiana could manage only 162/8 in their 20 overs while chasing a target of 170, handing Jalandhar a thrilling seven-run victory.
However, the real drama unfolded in the final over and immediately after it. At the end of the 19th over, Ludhiana were 160/6 and needed 10 runs to win. Wicketkeeper-captain Prabhasimran handed the responsibility of bowling the 20th over to young spinner Ranadeep Singh. Many were surprised by the decision.
But Ranadeep justified the faith shown in him by his captain. He picked up wickets off the first and third deliveries. The second ball was a dot ball. Ludhiana managed one run each from the fourth and fifth deliveries, leaving them at 162/8 after five balls. Even if the Ludhiana batter had smashed a six off the final delivery, the team would still have lost by one run. However, Ranadeep bowled another dot ball to finish the over, sealing a memorable victory for Jalandhar.
As soon as Jalandhar won, captain Prabhasimran broke into Bhangra. Ranadeep had bowled an excellent final over, but Prabhasimran was also clearly proud of himself for entrusting the youngster with the responsibility and helping his team overcome the biggest hurdle of the match. Under his captaincy, Jalandhar produced a superb performance under immense mental pressure and secured a memorable victory.