IPL 2021 | Batsmen should have adapted to the Ahmedabad surface better, laments KL Rahul

After a thumping 9-wicket victory versus Mumbai Indians, Punjab Kings showcased their volatility in Ahmedabad on Monday as the Kings, who had a chance to go fourth with a win, slumped to a crushing defeat at the hands of Kolkata Knight Riders. Put into bat, Punjab started off rather cautiously, but a collective dismal showing from the top and middle-order saw the Kings post a mere 123. Early wickets jolted KKR, but a combination of dew and some smart batting from the duo of Morgan and Tripathi helped the Knight Riders dust aside the Kings by 5 wickets.

The defeat today was Punjab’s fourth of the season,  and skipper KL Rahul, post match, admitted that his side lost the game with the bat. Rahul admitted that the PBKS batsmen did not adapt quickly and claimed that he and his teammates should have applied themselves better.

"I really don't know what to say, it was a poor performance from us. We should have adapted better on a new pitch, we could have applied a lot more with the bat and get that extra 20-30 runs,” Rahul said in the aftermath of the defeat.

“The wicket was a bit low and slow, but 120-130 was not enough. A few soft dismissals are that's costing us the game. The pitch was a bit two-paced and stayed up and down as well. It was hard in the first six overs to understand the good shots to play on this pitch.”

The encounter today was the first in Ahmedabad this season, and just like they did in Chennai, Punjab struggled to adapt to a new venue. Rahul hoped for his side to read conditions better and bounce back in their next encounter at the venue.

“It was expected that the pitch was difficult to assess at a new venue when you're batting first, but we should have assessed and adapted quickly but we couldn't do that. We have a few more games here and we hope to learn from our mistakes.”

Punjab were mediocre with the bat and unthreatening with the ball, but they brought their A game when it came to catching. No catch was shelled and the moment of the night belonged to young Ravi Bishnoi, who took a ‘catch of the season’ contender to dismiss Sunil Narine. Rahul credited Jonty Rhodes for Punjab improving as a fielding side, and asserted that the energy brought by the Protea legend is unmatched.

“That was a stunning catch (from Bishnoi), we've been a good fielding side. We have Jonty Rhodes who pushes the boys at every training session. He's a tough task master and he puts everyone to test. He has a great energy off the field and that rubs off on the players."

Punjab have a three-day break, post which they will take on Royal Challengers Bangalore at the same venue.