The Punjab Kings lost by two runs in a thrilling encounter against the Rajasthan Royals on Tuesday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. They failed to score four runs in the last over off young-gun Karthik Tyagi.
Former cricketer Dale Steyn feels that the Punjab Kings took their foot off the pedal last night after being in a winning position. Openers Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul put together 120 runs for the first wicket. However, the middle-order of the Punjab Kings succumbed while chasing.
“I think Punjab took their foot off the pedal there. They should have won it earlier. And Tyagi has run in and he has bowled a good over. Don’t get me wrong. I have seen perfect yorkers go for four. But Punjab could not get bat on the ball when they wanted, and a little bit of bad luck as well,” said Dale Steyn to Espncricinfo.
“There was a wide that should have been called, Aiden Markram has nicked one, the keeper’s dropped it, but short third man has got a miraculous save, and that could have gone for four. These little things keep building. You don’t have to bowl the perfect last over, the batters have already dug themselves into a hole through pressure, and any ball that is a dot ball looks like a magic delivery,” he added.
0, 1, W, 0, W, 0! 🔥🔥@tyagiktk held his nerve & bowled a stunning last over to take @rajasthanroyals home against #PBKS 👏👏 #VIVOIPL #PBKSvRR
Watch that sensational final over 📽️👇https://t.co/ZW3PP8cHCa
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) September 21, 2021
I think the better team lost: Dale Steyn on Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royal’s match
The Punjab Kings were in a solid position at the end of the 15 overs, with 148 runs on the board and just two down. After which, they only managed to score 35 runs in the last overs.
Dale Steyn stated that the Punjab Kings batsmen kept building the pressure by playing out dot balls in the final stages of the match. He added that he feels that the better team lost the match.
“Credit should be given to the bowler, but the pressure was built by the batsmen. It was crazy to watch, but I think the better team lost tonight. These kinds of games happen, and it tells you that 180 is a gettable score in Dubai,” Dale Steyn concluded.
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