Punjab Kings (PBKS) skipper KL Rahul was mighty impressed with hard-hitter Shahrukh Khan as the latter finished the game against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Dubai International Stadium on Friday (October 1).
Rahul played a gusty knock of 55-ball 67 while Sharukh smashed 22 off 9 balls as PBKS chased down KKR’s 165/7 with five wickets in hand and three balls to spare.
"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. Not to worry about results," said Rahul during the post-match presentation.
Punjab Kings needed 24 runs in the last three overs and Rahul and Shahrukh helped the side register a win despite a nervy moment in the last over.
"We are used to this, 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. Obviously, I would want to finish games," said Rahul.
Talking about Harpreet Brar's exclusion from playing XI, Rahul said, "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."
With this victory, Punjab Kings have 10 points from 12 games and they need to win both their remaining matches to secure a place in the playoffs.
"Often times, we have put pressure on ourselves. Everybody knows we are a far better team. Putting pressure on ourselves is not helping. These four games in the UAE have been a perfect example. It is a good learning for a young team like us," Rahul concluded.
(With ANI inputs)
