The Punjab Kings star Marcus Stoinis has smashed an astonishing half-century from just 20 balls. Stoinis looked filled with intent as he walked out to bat and it was well reflected in his knock as well. It was a much needed knock for the Punjab Kings as they needed some quick runs towards the end. It was an unusual challenge for the middle order as they weren't exposed much in this campaign so far. He played a massive hand in helping the Punjab Kings reach a total of 222 after the 20 overs.

The Punjab Kings will be happy with the total on board as at one stage they wouldn't have thought about crossing the 220-run mark. Prabhsimran Singh and Shreyas Iyer did a good job to hold the innings together but they would feel like they have missed out on a couple of chances to score some boundaries. There is still no clarity on what would be an ideal total on this pitch, but Marcus Stoinis has done his best out there. He smashed 24 runs off the last over to help the Punjab Kings set a commendable total on board. The Rajasthan Royals would have quite a chase in their hands and it will be an exciting 2nd innings on the cards.

Explosive late surge flips momentum as Royals face daunting chase

“I enjoyed that. It's been a different season for me, I spent most of the time watching our boys smack them all over the park and I've had the pads on just sort of observing and enjoying their action. So it was nice, nice to get a hit tonight and contribute. (On the score) They bowled really well, and that's the game. So if you can make an impact in a couple of overs, it can change things. But, yeah, it's funny when we're talking about 200, 210, not being what we're used to from our team, so, that's a compliment, I guess. It's also nice for different boys to step up tonight,” said Marcus Stoinis.

Marcus Stoinis had walked out to bat at the end of the 14th over and he was expected to land some late blows. Shreyas Iyer wasn't in his typical form as he was more conservative in his approach. Stoinis had scored 62 off just 22 balls, including 4 boundaries and 6 sixes, striking at 281.82. Brijesh Sharma was given the ball for the last over of the innings and Stoinis knew that he had to go big for the Punjab Kings to have a chance. He smashed 2 sixes and 3 fours to help the Punjab Kings finish on a total of 222 after the 20 overs.

“(On the pitch) They did say it was a little bit slower with the spinners and that sort of thing. There hasn't been a lot of spin bowled on this ground. It's typically been very high scoring. So they did say it was a little bit slower. And they executed really well, I think. There was obviously Jof (Archer) bowled really well in his first couple of overs. So, I think it's a good score, but, you know, you start well, and then we'll see how we go,” added Marcus Stoinis.

The Rajasthan Royals will have a big chase in the 2nd innings and their hopes will be pinned on the opening pair. If Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi can give them a solid start, they could well and truly be in the hunt.