Kings XI Punjab skipper KL Rahul (right) talks with teammate Sheldon Cottrell during the match against Rajasthan Royals in Sharjah on Sunday.
It was another day of uncertainties in the game of cricket when the match 9 of Indian Premier League 2020 saw the highest-run chase in the game’s history achieved by Rajasthan Royals against Kings XI Punjab. Riding high on the rich form of Sanju Samson (85 off 42) and late swashbuckling effort by unlikely hero Rahul Tewatia (53 of 31), who smashed five sixes in an over, RR realised the unthinkable feat of chasing down 224 in Sharjah.
The effort certainly left KXIP captain KL Rahul stunned as he never thought his 54-ball 69 and Mayank Agarwal’s 106 off 50 won’t be enough in ensuring the victory.
“The game keeps you humble all the time, I honestly did think we had the game in our pocket. Towards the end, they batted well and put pressure on our bowlers which led to mistakes. I back them to do the job, they have done well in the last two games, it's OK to have one bad game,” said KL Rahul at the post-match press conference.
While the team earlier lost a thriller against Delhi Capitals last week in the super over, Rahul said it’s good that such a defeat came early in the tournament, allowing them to rethink their plans and come back stronger, irrespective of where they play.
“It's good that this came early in the tournament, they will only learn from this and come back strongly. Small grounds and the total doesn't really matter.
“We have seen in the last seven or eight games - be it in Sharjah or in Dubai, the bowlers are going the distance at the back end in this tournament so far, the teams are backing their batsmen to have a go at the death and get those big overs - Sanju Samson and Rahul Tewatia did really well, they were set, played superbly well and they deserve this win,” he concluded.
