Mullanpur (Punjab) [India], April 20 (ANI): Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting felt that his side didn’t bat well enough and emphasised the need to secure victories in their upcoming home fixtures in Dharamsala following their defeat against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL).
PBKS’ growing momentum in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League came to a halt on Sunday after the Shreyas Iyer-led side fell to a 7-wicket defeat at the new PCA Stadium, New Chandigarh.
After being asked to bat, openers Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh gave PBKS a brisk start. However, the middle order failed to capitalise, and the hosts posted a modest total of 157/6 in 20 overs.
With the ‘Chase Master’ Virat Kohli playing an unbeaten 73-run knock off 54 balls, RCB managed to chase down the total with seven balls to spare. In the aftermath of the defeat, head coach Ricky Ponting admitted his side were not good enough with the bat on the night.
“We did not bat well enough. That is the bottom line in this game. I think the wicket was a whole lot better than 157. We had a lot of batsmen got off to a good start, but they were unable to make those big scores. That’s crucial in T20 cricket. And that’s what made the difference,” Ponting said at the post-match press conference.
Ponting further remarked that losing multiple wickets hurt his side in the match and added, “I think at the end of the powerplay we were 1 for 62. So straight away, there you are looking at a score of 180 plus, even pushing on to 200 if your middle order bats well, but we lost wickets in clumps again tonight.”
Ponting dwelled on the positives and assured that his side will focus on their next challenge against the defending champions, Kolkata Knight Riders, after a small break.
“We have got a nice little break. After three games in about five days, the boys need that little bit of time to freshen up and time to get away and forget about this result. We will make sure we focus on our next challenge against KKR, which will be a big game for us,” he said.
“Look, we are past the halfway mark now; we have got the five wins that we need to push on and make sure that we win a fair share of our games coming up,” he added.
Meanwhile, this was Punjab Kings’ final home game at the New PCA Stadium, and the franchise will play their remaining home matches in Dharamsala this season. Despite the loss, the players and the coaches took a lap around the stadium to thank the fans who made their voices heard throughout all the games at the stadium this year.
Speaking on the prospect of playing the future home games in Dharamsala, Ponting said, “First and foremost, it’s a beautiful place to play. We had a four or five-day training camp up there right at the start of the tournament. Normally, it’s a good wicket there, the ball comes onto the bat nicely. There is a bit more pace and bounce, which will suit our team. It’s not a big ground, so we can expect pretty high-scoring games.”
“It’s a little bit different this year for us. Normally, it’s been just the two games in Dharamsala; this year, it’s three. We have to make sure that it is a home ground where we win games. I am looking forward to getting up there,” he signed off.
Punjab Kings will next face off against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens on Saturday, April 26th. The franchise will play its next home game at HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala, on May 4th against Lucknow Super Giants. (ANI)
