IPL 2020 | Might play extra bowler in upcoming games, hints KL Rahul

10/01/2020

Kings XI Punjab skipper KL Rahul, who was at the receiving end of a crushing loss on Thursday, hinted post-match that KXIP might field an extra bowling option in the forthcoming games. KXIP were a bowler short today as a death-over onslaught from Mumbai Indians took their score to 191/4.

After winning the toss, KL Rahul took the bold decision to bowl first - despite results suggesting otherwise - and the move backfired once again as the team that batted first, Mumbai Indians in this case, registered a convincing win. After Sheldon Cottrell got the team off to a fine start, removing opener Quinton de Kock in the very first over, Kings XI bowlers lost their way as the innings progressed, and a death-over onslaught from the Mumbai batters took Rohit Sharma’s men’s score to a mammoth 191/4.

Despite Punjab’s batsmen faltering, scoring just 143 in response, the team’s bowling was seen as the culprit for the defeat, and speaking post-match, skipper KL Rahul conceded that his side might need an extra bowling option in the future. The thin bowling stocks of KXIP meant that Krishnappa Gowtham had to bowl the last over and it backfired, as Pollard and Pandya took 25 runs off the off-spinner’s final over.

“Another bowling option would be nice - an all-rounder option who can bat and bowl well. Will be sitting with the coaches to decide if we want to play an extra bowler,” Rahul said post-match.

The defeat means that KXIP have now lost three of their first four games, but Rahul expressed disappointment over the fact that they so easily could have won two more games - the Delhi and the Rajasthan clashes. The KXIP skipper admitted that his side made mistakes, but insisted that it was important to bounce back strong.

“Obviously disappointing. Looking back, we could've been three wins out of four. This game, we made some mistakes. Important we come back stronger.”