IPL 2018 | We were always in the game till AB de Villiers finished it, admits Mithun Manhas

Kings XI Punjab thought they were in the driving seat in last night’s match when they dismissed the likes of Brendon McCullum, Virat Kohli, and Sarfaraz Khan before they could inflict much damage to the scoreboard. But a valiant effort from the South African duo of Quinton de Kock and AB de Villiers ensured that RCB would get their first victory of the season against Punjab at the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore.

Former Delhi cricketer and KXIP assistant coach was quick to establish that even though the Kings XI side lost the game last night, they were always in the running to win the match till SA power-hitter de Villiers stepped onto the pitch.

“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, and Yuvraj Singh) wickets. 

“We should’ve probably played those 20 overs out, then probably situation would’ve been different. 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,” Manhas was quoted as saying by Wisden India.

After Rashid Khan, young Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb ur Rahman has been touted as the next big thing to arrive from the Afghan country, after his impressive performance in the last two matches for the Punjab-based franchise. Manhas added that the youngster would only get better with time as the tournament progresses.

“I would say he has done pretty well in the last two games,” he observed. “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 said.