Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) assistant coach Mithun Manhas admitted that his team fell short by 10-15 runs in the end, which handed them a 4-wicket defeat against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the eighth match of the campaign.
However, the Lions had a great start at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, but Umesh Yadav broke of the batting line up by taking three wickets of Mayank Agarwal, Aaron Finch and Yuvraj Singh to put RCB on the backfoot.
Although, KXIP bowled well against the RCB but AB de Villiers' (57) brilliant knock snitched the game from the touring side and led the hosts to the first win of the tournament in Bengaluru.
As per reports in ANI, Manhas said, “We were probably about 10-15 runs short. Actually, the scoring rate was pretty okay till Umesh got those three wickets. I think that set us back. You know, we were on the back foot once he got those three (Agarwal, Aaron Finch first ball, and Yuvraj Singh) wickets. We should’ve probably played those 20 overs out, and then probably situation would’ve been different.”
Commenting on bowling in Bengaluru, the KXIP coach stated, “But having said that, the bowling unit did a pretty good job. We were always in the game till AB (de Villiers) finished it. He got those two sixes and Mandeep (Singh) got a boundary in the 17th over. But I think it was a good game of cricket, it is just the start of the tournament.”
The 17-year-old Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman has also impressed Manhas with his extensive range of skills. He further said of the youngster, “I would say he (Mujeeb Ur Rahman) has done pretty well in the last two games. He’s been bowling pretty well considering that he’s just 16-17, and he’s bowling in the Power Play against one of the best batsmen in the world. He got hit in just one over but I think he had good figures, he’s been excellent for us.”
Manhas signed off by saying, “Spin bowling has been our strength actually, they (the spinners) brought us back into the game. If you score just 150-odd runs and if the opposition score 15-20 runs in an over, that will make the difference. You need to get regular wickets, only then you’re in the game, else the opposition is going to win.”
