Photo: SportzPicsKings XI Punjab succumbed to a third loss of the 2020 Dream11 Indian Premier League, as they were comprehensively beaten by champions Mumbai Indians last night at Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Stadium.
Yet again, it was the death bowling that cost the team captained by KL Rahul, as they conceded a whopping 68 runs in the final four overs which allowed Mumbai to put the target beyond reach on the night. KXIP suffered a similar fate against Rajasthan Royals as well, when their bowlers conceded 86 runs in the final few overs to end up on the losing side.
Despite the travails of the KXIP bowlers in the slog overs, one of their marquee pacers Sheldon Cottrell is optimistic that his team will get better as the tournament progresses and find a way to curb the flow of runs at the death.
“I have been working hard in training on my death bowling, along with all my bowling partners. I think we are getting there, we have been learning from our mistakes and practicing it on the training grounds,” said Cottrell in the post-match press conference after the defeat against Mumbai Indians.
“I’m sure that we are going to pull it off soon, it isn’t necessarily a worry- our death bowling, it is just a matter of time for us,” added the muscular left-arm seamer.
The Caribbean pacer also remained optimistic about his team’s chances to get a fightback, despite two consecutive losses.
“It could have easily been three out of four games that we have won but unfortunately we have won only one. But I know that we will bounce back, we firmly believe that as one unit. We all have days like this but I know that we will bounce back,” said Cottrell.
His words were echoed by the KXIP skipper KL Rahul, who continued to remain optimistic despite the slow start to his franchise in terms of points. “Looking back, we could've been three wins out of four. This game, we made some mistakes so it is important we come back stronger,” said Rahul in the post-match interview.
Kings XI Punjab play their next game in the Dream11 IPL on Sunday against Chennai Super Kings.
