Stuart Binny: We had no option but to drop Gayle to make way for AB

De Villiers marked his return to the team with an exceptional 89 not out from 46 balls with nine sixes and three fours. His pyrotechnics helped the visitors reach a decent position of 148 for 4 after losing four wickets for 68 in 13.1 overs. But Punjab’s well-rounded batting unit made sure that the target was never going to be enough.   

As far as the reasons for their last defeat is concerned, Binny believes that their side did not have enough runs to defend. The all-rounder said, “We did not put enough runs on board. When you are batting first, 148 runs is not a good score. In T20, the start is very important. If you are two down in the first four overs, then rest of the team struggles.” He also said that the wicket was a bit two-paced in the first innings and thus difficult to bat on. “When we batted in the first innings, the wicket was a bit two-paced. The ball that was bowled cross seam, held in to the surface a bit. It was that kind of wicket, where you need 15-20 balls to get to read the pace of the pitch.”