Lucknow Super Giants skipper KL Rahul admitted that his team was 10 runs short against Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League match on Saturday. Lucknow bowlers failed to defend the 160-run target on a trick surface as the dew also came into the effect as the Punjab batters took advantage of it and registered a win with three balls to spare.
Sikandar Raza (57) and Shahrukh Khan (23*) played crucial knocks for Punjab in the thrilling win at Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow.
IPL 2023 LSG vs PBKS Match Highlights
Rahul said that the bowlers failed to execute their plans when the dew came into effect.
“I think we were about 10 runs short towards the end. The dew came in and it seemed to help the batters a little bit more. We did not execute well with the ball,” he said after the match.
The LSG captain suggested that they have yet not assessed the pitch full in Lucknow.
“When you are playing on a new ground and a new pitch, you cannot rely on the previous games. We take it as it comes, assess it on the go and not really set ourselves a target,” Rahul added.
Talking about his team’s strong batting line-up, Rahul said that his batters failed to fire against PBKS but they have enough firepower to post a big score on any surface.
“If a couple of batters get in, play good knocks, we can get to 180-190. Unfortunately, today, few of the batters hit good shots but got caught just on the boundary line. On another day, we would have got those 10-15 runs extra that would have made the difference,” he asserted.
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Meanwhile, Rahul returned to form and scored a 74-run knock on Saturday to help his team post a challenging total. However, his strike rate of 132.14 came under the scanner as he failed to accelerate at the crucial stage.
He further said that every batter has a different role in the side and it’s important to stick to it as they have enough depth in their line-up.
“Each player has a different role to play and that is why it is called a team game. We have 7-8 batters in our team and few can clear any boundary. Some are not as powerful but have skill. It is about each player playing their part and role and that is what makes a team exciting, and that is what we need to do,” he added.
“We do have power hitters down the order in Pooran and Stoinis. Mayers up top takes the aggressive route and a few of us have to assess the conditions and stick to what works for them. Just about giving them the confidence to do what they are comfortable with,” he concluded.
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