"He left behind an innings and wickets so that you remember him in next year's big auction" - Aakash Chopra on Sam Curran's performance for PBKS vs RR

Aakash Chopra reckons Sam Curran's all-round performance in the Punjab Kings' (PBKS) IPL 2024 win over the Rajasthan Royals (RR) should hold him in good stead in next season's mega auction. The seam-bowling all-rounder registered figures of 2/24 in three overs and followed it up with an unbeaten 41-ball 63-run knock.

RR set PBKS a 145-run target after opting to bat first in Guwahati on Wednesday, May 15. The visitors chased the target down with five wickets and seven deliveries to spare to register their fifth win of the season.

Reflecting on the Punjab Kings' chase in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra noted that Curran gave a match-winning performance at an opportune moment.

"In the run chase, Prabhsimran Singh got out in the first over for sure. Then Jonny Bairstow also got out. Rilee Rossouw too got out but Jitesh Sharma played a good knock and Sam Curran played a captain's knock. It was a Player of the Match performance from Sam Curran. It was his last match of this season. He is leaving after this," he said (17:00).

"However, while leaving, he left behind an innings and wickets so that you remember him in next year's big auction. It will be all money when the auction happens. For that, you need to put in some good performances, and performances right at the end matter a little more because they remain in your mind," the former India opener added.

Curran struck five fours and three sixes during his unbeaten 63-run knock. He added 63 runs for the fifth wicket with Jitesh Sharma (22 off 20) after PBKS were reduced to 48/4.

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"Sam Curran bowled decently" - Aakash Chopra on PBKS' bowling

Sam Curran dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel during RR's innings. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Reflecting on the Punjab Kings' bowling, Aakash Chopra noted that virtually all their bowlers did a decent job.

"Sam Curran bowled decently. Nathan Ellis played here. Rahul Chahar picked up two wickets. He dismissed both overseas batters. Overall, Punjab tightened the screws. What were Punjab playing for?" he observed (16:25).

The reputed commentator praised the PBKS players for trying their best to make their fans happy even though they again failed to qualify for the playoffs.

"Let's be honest, they also know that they can't progress but it's necessary to win every match because the fans love you. Once they become your fans, no matter how many times you break their hearts, their hearts are with you. So that is the situation and there they put their best foot forward," Chopra stated.

The win against RR helped PBKS climb above the Mumbai Indians (MI) into ninth position on the points table. A win in their final league game against the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Sunday, May 19, will ensure they don't finish with the wooden spoon.