Shikhar Dhawan (0), Punjab Kings‘ dejected captain, shared an honest assessment of his team’s latest loss to Delhi Capitals in Dharamsala. A loss all but eliminating Kings from Indian Premier League 2023, it came on the back of poor decisions right through the match as per Dhawan.
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Calling a spade a spade, Dhawan took the onus upon himself for committing errors as the leader of the side. Dhawan, who had previously rued the absence of a specialist off-spinner in their squad, asked left-arm othrodox spinner Harpreet Brar (0/39) to bowl three out of the last five overs in the first innings.
Dhawan, who had one and two overs left of pacers Kagiso Rabada (0/36) and Arshdeep Singh (0/21) respectively, earned severe disapproval from the cricketing fraternity for asking a spinner to bowl in the death overs on a pitch which has always had something in it for the pacers. Dhawan’s bizarre decision defeated the whole purpose of Punjab playing four pacers which also included Sam Curran (2/36) and Nathan Ellis (0/46).
Shikhar Dhawan Pinpoints What Cost Punjab Kings the Match vs Delhi Capitals
Speaking to host broadcaster Star Sports Network after a heartbreaking 15-run loss, Dhawan admitted how his decisions backfired in a much-win match. Readers must note that Brar leaking 23 runs in the 20th over ended up becoming the difference between the two teams eventually.
“I feel that even my decision of bowling [the] spinner [in the] last over backfired. I feel the momentum also went there. Before that, my fast bowler [Nathan Ellis] got hit for 18-20 [18] runs. Those two overs cost us the game.”
Dhawan, whose 12th IPL duck came after a 30-month period, was also at fault for electing to field first after winning the toss on Wednesday. The 37-year old player also lamented a poor start to a 214-run chase where they didn’t score a run on the first seven balls in addition to losing his wicket.
“We lost the first wicket in the second over. I got out. And the first over [Khaleel Ahmed to Prabhsimran Singh] also went maiden. Of course, we lost six balls over there. Usually it doesn’t happen but this time it happened.”
PBKS will now host Rajasthan Royals in their last league match of the ongoing 16th season of the IPL at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium on Friday. Both the teams have 12 points to their names after winning six and losing seven matches thus far.
