According to spin bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule, Punjab Kings’ IPL match against Delhi Capitals New Delhi on Saturday will feature young Australian all-rounder Cooper Connolly.
Cricket Australia was keeping an eye on the 22-year-old’s bowling fitness when he temporarily returned to Australia for back scans.
“Yes, he’s very much available. He just went there and has come back. He’s ready and raring to go,” PTI quoted Bahutule as saying on the eve of PBKS’ match against DC.
Connolly has contributed significantly to Punjab’s ascent to the top of the table in his first IPL season, scoring 223 runs at a strike rate of 163.97, including 87 and 72 not out. The spin-bowling all-rounder hasn’t bowled in the competition, though.
Punjab, who finished second in the previous season, have once again shown themselves to be the most reliable teams, performing well in all areas. Bahutule said the performance with the new ball can still be improved.
“When it comes to bowling, the new-ball phase has been decent, but that’s an area we need to improve. The middle and death overs have been fabulous for us,” he said.
Bahutule supported the batting unit’s depth in order to manage a variety of match situations.
“Going forward, there will be situations where the batters might not get a start, but I think we are very well-equipped. There is depth in our batting,” he added.
Bahutule credited clear responsibilities and execution for Punjab’s bowling unit’s current coherent performance.
“With our Indian bowlers like (Vijaykumar) Vyshak and Arshdeep Singh, along with (Xavier) Bartlett, it makes a huge difference in understanding what is required in different phases,” he said.
“In the second phase, execution becomes crucial, and so far, they have done that according to plan. We try to keep things simple and use them optimally in different situations, and they have responded really well,” Bahutule added.
