IPL 2021: "Last two overs were the difference" - PBKS bowling coach Damien Wright hails Shami, Arshdeep

Punjab Kings (PBKS) bowling coach Damien Wright reckons the last two overs bowled by Mohammed Shami and Arshdeep Singh during the Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) innings made the big difference in the match on Friday.

PBKS defeated KKR by five wickets in Dubai in Match 45 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 to keep their playoff hopes alive. Put into bat, KKR were 151 for 5 after 18 overs. However, Shami and Arshdeep conceded only seven runs each in the last two overs as Kolkata finished at a below par 165 for 7.

According to Wright, in the final analysis, Shami and Arshdeep’s efforts stood out. PBKS got over the line in the last over, with three balls to spare.

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Praising the two pacers, the franchise’s bowling coach said:

“It is purely down to the way that they try and apply themselves. It has been an area (death overs bowling) of our game that we have been really strong at since we have been playing here in Dubai. Both of them tonight, I thought their last two overs were the difference in the game.”

Wright attributed Shami and Arshdeep’s success to the amount of hard work they put into their game.

“I am really pleased for both of them. They work really hard and that’s just paying off. The huge talent in our squad is particularly in the Indian bowlers. But they have a leader like Shami, who has been able to do the job and he bowled beautifully tonight. He is an experienced bowler and he over laid the platform. Then, Arshdeep finished it with a wicket for us in the end there,” Wright, who has also coached Hobart Hurricanes, added.

While Shami ended up with figures of 1 for 23 from his four overs against KKR, Arshdeep claimed 3 for 32.

“I think this is the best balanced team” - PBKS bowling coach

PBKS made few changes to the team for the game against KKR, the most significant one being bringing in Shahrukh Khan to bolster the middle order. The move paid off immediately as the aggressive batter hammered an unbeaten 22 off 9 to seal victory for PBKS.

Asked if he felt Friday’s playing XI gives PBKS the best balance, Wright agreed.

“Yeah, I do. I think this is the best balanced team. I was really happy for Shahrukh. I think he showed what power he has got, and we certainly needed that towards the end of the innings,” the 46-year-old stated.

He added that Harpreet Brar has been unlucky to miss out but pointed out that the team combination sometimes forces them to take tough calls.

“(Harpreet) Brar is really unlucky to be missing out. But then that’s again what can happen, trying to get the balance of the team right. I think he will still have a huge role to play going forward. We go to Sharjah for the next game against RCB. He bowled beautifully against them earlier in the year. It was a really strong team we put together today (Friday),” Wright admitted.

The PBKS bowling coach is also mighty impressed with young leggie Ravi Bishnoi and predicted a bright future for the 21-year-old.

“Ravi Bishnoi is an absolute superstar. He is going to be something very special for years to come. He will be certainly playing every game in our team. He’s actually been the real difference in our bowling attack. He’s been able to give us that variation and not only keeps it very tight but he takes wickets. His performances have been outstanding,” Wright concluded.

Bishnoi claimed 2 for 22 against KKR, picking up the big scalps of Venkatesh Iyer and Rahul Tripathi.