KL After his team crossed the line in the final over against Kolkata Knight Riders to win by 5 wickets and keep Punjab Kings in contention for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 playoffs, Rahul was a relieved captain.
In Match 45 in Dubai, Rahul played another captain’s knock, scoring 67 off 55 balls to help PBKS chase down a 166-run target with three balls to spare.
“We are used to this, but I’ll take the two points. We played brilliantly and smartly. Thus, We realized it was a decent wicket. There wasn’t much spin. The bowlers felt we can make the batsmen sideways… Really happy that we could get over the line,” Rahul said
Rahul went on to say that a win like this will give them much-needed confidence as the competition nears its conclusion.
“This win will give us confidence and hopefully we’ll build on it. Oftentimes, we have put pressure on ourselves… Everybody knows we are a far better team. Putting pressure on ourselves is not helping. These four games in the UAE have a perfect example. It is good learning for a young team like us,” Rahul added.
PBKS are presently level for first place with KKR and MI on 10 points but have also gone ahead of the defending champions due to their higher net run rate.
Delhi Capitals
Punjab’s victory also helped Delhi Capitals become the second team behind Chennai Super Kings to qualify for the playoffs, meaning five teams will now compete for the final two berths this season.
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