Punjab Kings spin-bowling coach Sunil Joshi stated that giving last over to bowl to left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar was made on the basis of his showing in the first two overs.
Against Delhi Capitals at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala, Brar gave away just 16 runs in his first two overs. Skipper Shikhar Dhawan then handed him the ball to bowl the last over, which backfired massively as Brar gave away 23 runs with Rilee Rossouw at the crease.
“We bowled very well, in fact. The wicket was true. But the execution part was missing. In the T20 format, you try your luck and you do not execute and it is a matter of one over. So, that was the difference.”
“Brar and (Rahul) Chahar bowled well. But in the third over, Brar gave away 23 runs. So it was a matter of one over. If you look back, the fast bowlers also gave away 17-18 runs,” said Joshi in the post-match press conference.
In reply, despite Liam Livingstone’s scintillating 94 and Atharva Taide making a fifty, Punjab fell short by 15 runs to leave their playoffs hopes in limbo. “When you have a 200-plus score, you’re always catching up with the game. If you have a lean over, scoring around 10 runs in an over, you’re catching up. That made the difference,” added Joshi.
Punjab can mathematically make it to the playoffs but the chances are very slim, with just one match, against Rajasthan Royals at home on Friday being their last league game.
“We will try our best to win the last game. Rest, whether we will qualify is not in our hands. But this is going to be new and true wicket in Dharamsala. We should be more disciplined in bowling and bat well in the middle overs,” concluded Joshi.
