After losing to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by two runs, Shikhar Dhawan, the Punjab Kings (PBKS) captain, appreciated a second successive time of Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma playing whirlwind knocks, but lamented his batters’ inability to cash on in the first six overs.
Chasing 183, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Pat Cummins got the new ball to move to reduce PBKS to 20/3 in 4.4 overs, Dhawan, Jonny Bairstow and Prabhsimran Singh scoring only 18 runs between themselves.
SRH then reduced PBKS to 114/6 and with 67 runs needed from the last four overs, Ashutosh (33 not out off 15 balls) and Shashank (46 not out off 25 balls), took them really close to chasing down the total through their partnership of 66 runs off just 27 balls.
With 29 needed off the final over, the duo could hit 26 runs, as PBKS fell short by just two runs. "Shashank and Ashutosh played great knocks. I feel that we kept them to a good total. Unfortunately, we could not cash in on the first six overs and that is where we lost the game. That pinched us hard. The wicket was not offering that much bounce so every individual has to come up with better plans," said Dhawan after the match.
PBKS could also look back at the six they conceded to Jaydev Unadkat on the last ball of SRH’s innings when Harshal Patel missed a chance at long-on. "We could have stopped 10-15 runs more and that made a difference as well. As a batting unit, we did not perform.
"It is important for the top order to perform. Shashank and Ashutosh's performance gives us confidence and hope for the next game. We have to do better in certain areas and improve," added Dhawan.
PBKS’ next game in IPL 2024 will be against Rajasthan Royals at Mullanpur on Saturday.
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