IPL 2021: "We defended it against SRH last year" - Ravi Bishnoi on KL Rahul’s message to PBKS during the break

Ravi Bishnoi continued his good run in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 for the Punjab Kings (PBKS) after bowling the team to a win in a low-scoring thriller against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Sharjah.

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After the match, the 21-year-old leg-spinner recalled captain KL Rahul’s advice during the break at the halfway stage. According to Ravi Bishnoi, KL Rahul asked the team to take a leaf out of their win against SRH in Dubai in IPL 2020.

“We lost the last game by a very close margin, so this victory feels nice. IPL brings that to the table (talking about PBKS making a habit of last-ball thrillers). During the break, Rahul-bhai reminded us how we defended a similar target against SRH in similar conditions in Dubai last year. We had the belief,” said Ravi Bishnoi after the match.

Last year, Punjab managed only 126 and sealed a 12-run win over SRH in Dubai. The match on Saturday panned out very similarly, with PBKS managing 125 and restricting SRH to 120. The five-run defeat ended SRH’s playoff-qualification hopes.

I was just thinking to bowl in the right areas: Ravi Bishnoi

Surprisingly, PBKS haven’t played Ravi Bishnoi in all their matches. In the five matches he has played this season, he has seven wickets at an average of 17.6, going at just over six an over.

On Saturday, he claimed three for 24 – his best bowling figures in the IPL.

“I was just thinking to bowl wicket-to-wicket and bowl it in the areas that were tough for the batters to target. It was very important for us to win this match to stay in the contention and we were determined to do well,” he added.

The win over SRH has helped PBKS climb to fifth spot with four wins and six defeats. A winning run from here could help the KL Rahul-led side qualify for the playoffs. They next face the defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.