Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) would have been in a better situation in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 if they had not choked easily in matches earlier in the first half. They came close to victories but lost the game just because of a couple of bad overs.
KXIP's second win in the tournament came against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Thursday (October 15). Their top order again put them in a winning position, but in the final over, KL Rahul and Chris Gayle took the game to the last ball despite needing just two runs in six balls.
Former KXIP mentor/head coach Virender Sehwag was not happy with the way they won the match. Although they got two points, but the worries don't end here for them. He wanted them to utilize the platform they had and finish the game a bit earlier.
Sehwag wanted Rahul to finish the game instead of taking it deep and also emphasized on the importance of Net Run-Rate. “I would have enjoyed it more if KL Rahul had finished the game one or two overs before. Because, if you are in such a good form, and there are two great batters in the middle - Chris Gayle and KL Rahul. You need 11 to win in 3 overs, so if you can finish the game two overs before, then you can increase your Net Run Rate,” Sehwag said in a video on Cricbuzz.
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“If you are really thinking about winning matches and the tournament, then you need to keep an eye on Net Run rate. There will be one stage when they might have equal points but because of poor Net Run Rate, they might not be able to proceed further in the tournament.
“So, it’s commendable that KL Rahul finished off the game against RCB, but I would have enjoyed it more had he done it by the 18th over. Because if they had lost this game, if Nicholas Pooran had got out in the final over, then who would be blamed for it - KL Rahul, Chris Gayle or Nicholas Pooran?", he added.
Sehwag felt anything could have happened if the game needed a tie-breaker and a loss here could have nearly ended KXIP's journey this season.
“If you had lost in the Super Over, then who would you be blaming? If you are the captain, and you are standing there till the 20th over, and you are in good form, then you should finish the game at least an over before.
“This is something that KL Rahul has to learn. Because in the last over, one bad move, one bad call, one good delivery, one run out - these things take place and then you lose the game,” Sehwag said.
Recalling the game against Delhi Capitals (DC), KXIP were in a position but the game ended in a tie and then they eventually lost in the super over. Even against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), they had wickets in hand but a couple of tight overs, in the end, took the game out of their hands.
