Dubai: Punjab Kings captain KL Rahul said he was happy to see his side get over the line in a five-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders in match 45 of IPL 2021 here on Friday.
Rahul bagged the man of the match with a 49-ball 67 in a thriller of a match that saw Shahrukh Khan (22 runs off 9 balls) hit a last-over six for a win while chasing 166.
"We are used to this (playing crunch games), but I'll take the two points. We played brilliantly and smartly. We realised it was a decent wicket. There wasn't much spin. The bowlers felt we can make the batsmen sideways... Really happy that we could get over the line, " said Rahul at the presentation ceremony.
With the win, PBKS are now locked on 10 points in a three-way battle for a top-four spot with KKR and Mumbai Indians, who have played a match less (11).
PBKS faced a major blow before the match as Chris Gayle left the team citing bio-bubble fatigue, forcing the side to rearrange their playing XI. Nicholas Pooran was promoted to no. 3 while Shahrukh took the responsibility of batting at the end while spinner Harpreet Brar was dropped for the match.
The lower middle-order batter made a good case for himself with his 9-ball cameo and the skipper had nothing but good things to say about Khan.
"Shahrukh worked really well with the batting coaches, asking a lot of questions, and developed a game where he can play at 170-180 without taking many risks. We know he can hit the ball a long way. He has done that for Tamil Nadu," said Rahul.
Rahul also added that it was tough to drop Brar for the game but had to be taken for the right playing XI combination, hinting that Brar could be back for tomorrow's match against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Sharjah.
"These are things that kill me as a captain - leaving out young Indian boys. Chris has left the bubble, so we had to make a few changes to see what would be our best XI. But we go to Sharjah for next game, and we'll see, he said.
Dropped catches cost us match : Morgan
Kolkata Knight Riders' captain Eoin Morgan rued dropped catches as his side lost by five wickets to Punjab Kings in match 45 of IPL 2021 here on Friday.
The loss for the Kolkata outfit means they are now locked on 10 points in a three-way battle for a play-off spot with PBKS and Mumbai Indians, who have played a match less (11 games).
KKR's shoddy work on the field saw the side drop seven catches, including a catch by Morgan in the first over while defending 166.
"Initially we didn't field as well, put catches down. Myself early too," Morgan said at the post-match presentation ceremony. "We probably had a par score on the wicket. Kings played well, we fought back, but catches have cost us."
The game's man of the match KL Rahul, who scored a 55-ball 67, was dropped twice as well; including a catch in the 19th over by Rahul Tripathi, who thought he took a clean catch untill third umpire thought otherwise.
Morgan said he was surprised with the umpire's decision as everyone on the field thought it was a clean catch in real time.
"I thought in real-time that the Tripathi catch was out. But when you slow it down, the third umpire decided otherwise. We got on with it once he made his call, " said the Englishman.(UNI)