Sharjah, Oct 04, 2021, IANS
Despite an inconsistent season, where some of their marquee players have failed to click and the side only has a mathematical chance of making it to the fourth and final playoffs spot in IPL 2021, Punjab Kings skipper KL Rahul said there were several positives during the season, the most notable being the emergence of quality young domestic bowlers.
Punjab Kings suffered another defeat on Sunday, losing to Royal Challengers Bangalore by six runs, which leaves them dependent on other results to make it to the playoffs.
"The youngsters have been doing really well for us -- Ravi Bishnoi, Harpreet Brar and Arshdeep Singh," said Rahul in the post-match interview. "They've really come through this season and in the last four or five games. They've matured a lot and are showing a lot of heart, which is great to see for me. Hopefully we can build on it," he added.
Arshdeep Singh has shouldered the new ball and death overs responsibility with great conviction this season along with Mohammed Shami. The left-arm pacer has picked up 16 wickets this year and is one of the three bowlers this year to claim a five-wicket haul in the IPL.
Ravi Bishnoi has bowled brilliantly in the middle-overs for his franchise since making his comeback to the team. The leg spinner has an economy rate of marginally above six this year, while he has also consistently picked up big wickets for the team.
Harpreet Brar arguably produced the moment of the season this year in the IPL back in India when he dismissed Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell and AB De Villiers in the same game. The left-arm spinner has the best economy rate for a bowler who's delivered more than 100 balls this year in the IPL. With plenty of variations and a rigorous discipline with his lengths, Harpreet has been difficult to hit this year in the competition.
Apart from these three, Rahul also reserved praise for Shahrukh Khan, who had made a massive impact since joining the franchise. "We've lacked someone who plays those crucial 25-30 run knocks in the end, someone with power," said Rahul while going on to add, "I think Shahrukh (Khan) has started to do that for us which is a great sign for the future."