Rahul also said PBKS' batting has let the team down in the tournament.
Punjab Kings (PBKS) captain KL Rahul admitted that PBKS’ batting has let the team down in the last couple of years after their hopes for a playoff berth were hanging in threat with a 6-run loss to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Sunday (October 3) in the ongoing IPL 2021.
In the 48th game of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL 2021), Devdutt Padikkal (40) and Glenn Maxwell's quickfire fifty (57) helped RCB post 164 runs on the board against PBKS, with Mohammed Shami and Moises Henriques returning with 6 wickets each on Sunday in Sharjah.
Chasing the total, PBKS got a good start from their openers KL Rahul (39) and Mayank Agarwal (57), but a spirited bowling performance by RCB saw Punjab 6 runs short of their target of 165 runs, as Yuzvendra Chahal led the attack with three wickets in Sharjah.
After PBKS’ narrow defeat against RCB on Sunday, Rahul said a player like Maxwell makes it difficult for any team to win the game, especially when he is in form with the bat.
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Rahul said during the post-match presentation: “When a guy like Maxwell comes in with that sort of form, it makes it difficult. But with the bat, the last couple of years have been disappointing. If I have to be honest, our batting has let us down.”
On his role as an opener, the PBKS skipper said, “I'll be lying if I say it doesn't play on my mind that I play a role that the team demands. It's not something that I enjoy, but when you lead the team, you have to accept the responsibility. In T20, the top two or three do score a bulk of the runs.”
The right-hander also admitted that PBKS missed a batter in the middle who can score those a bulk of the runs there.
He continued, “You won't have people in the middle order scoring 500-600 runs. But we have missed someone in the middle who scores those 30-40 quick runs. Shahrukh Khan and some of the other Indian young guys have been going well.”
At the moment, Rahul is the leading run-scorer in the ongoing IPL 14 with 528 runs, but the PBKS skipper isn't happy wearing the Orange Cap as his team ended on the losing side against RCB.
He signed off by saying, “I wouldn't say I haven't enjoyed wearing it (the Orange Cap) but I would have been happier if we had qualified. It was a score that was par. Maybe 10-15 runs extra.”
(With ANI Inputs)