Punjab Kings slumped to their fourth successive loss on Monday when Delhi Capitals beat them by three wickets at Dharamsala. Kings skipper Shreyas Iyer speaking after the match blamed the bowlers and fielders for the defeat as he felt the total was “30 runs more” than the par score on a tricky surface.
“I won’t beat around the bush, I’ll just say fielding and bowling again,” Shreyas said.
Priyansh Arya scored a 33-ball 56 and Shreyas made a fluent 59 not out off 36 balls, as PBKS posted 210 for 5. DC overhauled the target in 19 overs riding on the fluent knocks from David Miller (51 off 28) and skipper Axar Patel (56 off 30).
Shreyas thought the total posted by PBKS on the scoreboard was more than enough. “Absolutely, I feel that it was 30 runs more on this wicket considering how the ball was seaming and there was variable bounce,” he said.
Shreyas had thought of bringing in Yuzvendra Chahal as an impact substitute at some point but decided otherwise after he saw seamers getting help from the pitch.
“There was absolutely a thought in my mind (on introducing Chahal), but the way ball was seaming and the way it was helping seamers, I think if we would have executed our line and length precisely, we could have been able to extract wickets, but unfortunately again, we didn’t.
“I always say that the hard length – short of a hard length – is the best ball, especially when a new batsman is coming in. It’s not easy to hit because if you keep repeating those balls, at least one ball gives a chance of mis-hitting and you can get a wicket. We’ve been short of planning,” he said.
Delhi Capitals skipper Axar Patel was happy with the win and remain in contention for the playoffs.
“Since last time I have been saying we are losing the crucial moments. We are a good team, playing good cricket but not winning those crucial moments. Really happy with the way we played and hopefully we continue playing like this,” Axar said.
“The first three-four overs we went for 60 runs and we pulled things back. In the middle overs the way Madhav and Mukesh bowled were the winning moments.
“Even with the bat, after my dismissal the way Miller, Ashutosh and Madhav batted it was great. The ball was swinging and seaming, we didn’t bowl in the right areas in the first three-four overs but it was doing something right through, that’s why I didn’t use spin,” he added.
