Punjab Kings skipper Shreyas Iyer said there was no dew on the day in Mullanpur. Hence, bowling second wasn’t very tough for the Rajasthan Royals in the evening game, making the 206-run chase a tough ask for the flying Punjab, who slumped to a 50-run defeat on Saturday, April 5.
Yashasvi Jaiswal ‘s 67 and Riyan Parag’s late flourish with an unbeaten 43 powered Rajasthan to a whopping 205/4, the highest total at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium in Mullanpur.
In reply, Punjab faltered under pressure, managing just 155/9 as their homecoming turned sour.
Iyer said that there were a lot of learnings from the defeat to Rajasthan, in the bowling and batting departments specifically.
“Many things to learn from this game. Today, there was no dew. We cannot be blaming that. We need to go back to the drawing board and see the videos of where we were not able to execute with the bowling,” Iyer said while speaking at the post-match presentation.
“In the batting, we could be focusing on building partnerships. We also lost back-to-back wickets. It is not easy for a new batter to get going,” Iyer added.
The captain of Punjab praised the 24-year-old Nehal Wadhera for his aggressive fifty under pressure, keeping Punjab in the game after they had been reduced to 43/4 during the powerplay.
“Phenomenal batting under pressure. He took some time, he was able to analyse and was able to charge on the loose balls,” Iyer said.
Rising star Yashasvi Jaiswal’s return to form with a sparkling half-century and fiery blows from Jofra Archer spoiled Punjab’s homecoming as Rajasthan bagged a handsome 50-run victory.
Once RR built a tall 205/4 around Jaiswal’s stroke-filled 67, it was never going to be easy for PBKS, and they were limited to 155/9. Wadhera played a lone hand with a 41-ball 62 for them.
Archer (3/25), pacer Sandeep Sharma (2/21), and spinner Maheesh Theekshana (2/26) bowled with precision as well, while Kumar Kartikeya and Wanindu Hasaranga provided fine support.
Punjab next face the Chennai Super Kings at home on Tuesday and a win over the misfiring five-time champions will ensure they remain in the top half of the table.
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