IPL 2021 | We knew what to expect here, tried to get used to the conditions, proclaims KL Rahul
Rahul failed with the bat getting out to Bhuvneshwar Kumar
|IPL
After the Kings succumbed to their third straight loss, KL Rahul rued the fact that they fell 10-15 short, despite trying their best to get familiar to the conditions. Chepauk has presented some pretty difficult surfaces for batsmen and Rahul also reckons that it's very tough to adapt.
When Punjab added depth to their batting today, it was widely expected that there will be changes in the way they approach the game. However, forget their approach, they were floored with the challenges thrown at them by the sticky nature of the pitch. It didn't have much carry with the ball stopping on the batters, and that had got the better of the skipper KL Rahul too when he was dismissed early, in a bid to put back some pressure on the bowlers.
And from there on it was a lengthy struggle for the Kings' batters as the introduction of spin added salt to their injuries, and they couldn't even bat full 20 overs, getting bowled-out for a paltry total of 120 runs.
Post the game, losing skipper KL Rahul admitted that the team fell short by 10-15 runs as they just couldn't come in terms with the conditions despite giving their very best.
"We knew what to expect here. Tried to get used to the conditions as quickly as we can. We were 10-15 short on this pitch. Bowlers tried very hard, but it's very hard coming into these conditions and adapting quickly," Rahul said in the post-match presentation.
Punjab's bowling was supposed to be their weaker link as they had dropped both their foreign pacers to solidify their batting. No wonder, when David Warner and Jonny Bairstow started throwing caution to the wind, KL Rahul's men had nothing much to counter the on-onslaught with the skipper going defensive. Reflecting on the Sunrisers batting, Rahul revealed that he didn't attack much as he was waiting for either of the openers to get out.
"Hindsight is a beautiful thing. We knew they were going to come hard. It's tricky to have attacking fields. Was waiting for one of them to get out and then put pressure. Wanted to take the game as deep as possible. Unfortunately we couldn't get wickets in the middle and that cost us. Every game is important for us and we've been in that position. It's not a bad position to be in. Hopefully learn from our mistakes and keep getting better."
Punjab, currently bottom of the table, will face defending champions Mumbai Indians in Chennai on Friday, April 23.
