IPL 2021: “We haven’t handled the pressure well” - KL Rahul

Punjab Kings (PBKS) captain KL Rahul has expressed his disappointment at the team’s inability to handle pressure, as his team slumped to their seventh defeat in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 on Tuesday. Mumbai Indians (MI) beat PBKS by six wickets in Abu Dhabi to jump past Rahul's men in the points table.

PBKS haven’t been able to win key moments to end close contests. However, with teams jostling for places in the IPL standings, KL Rahul wants PBKS to remain positive, and show more fight in their next three remaining games.

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“We haven’t been able to handle the pressure. We’ll learn more if we play more together as a team and adapt to pressure. We need to be positive. We have three games. The table looks interesting, and gives all of us a chance, so we need to take one game at a time," said Rahul.

“We need to go out there, enjoy ourselves, and not worry about the results, as winning and losing isn’t in our hands. All our games in the UAE have gone down to the wire, and we have shown good fight. Hopefully, we can build on that. With a little luck going our way, we can turn things around,” continued KL Rahul in the post-match presentation ceremony.

PBKS are currently in sixth position in the IPL 2021 points table, with four wins from seven matches.

"We should have got 170": KL Rahul

KL Rahul lauded his bowlers for making strong comebacks despite the batting floundering in most games. Defending 135 against MI, the PBKS bowlers almost took the match till the final over, keeping the team in the contest.

Speaking about his side’s performance against MI on Tuesday, KL Rahul said:

“It was a good fight from the bowlers. 135 wasn’t enough on this pitch. It’s the best surface we played on, and (we) should have got 170. The fight the boys showed with the ball was tremendous. To do it twice in a row gives us a lot of confidence as a bowling unit. The next three games will be really interesting for us.”

KL Rahul had an off-game with the bat, scoring 21 off 22 balls. Aiden Markram’s 29-ball 42 brought PBKS back in the match, as they were able to post 135 on the board. Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, 21, was PBKS’ best bowler with figures of 4-0-25-2, claiming the big wickets of Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav.

PBKS’ next game is against fourth-placed Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Dubai on Friday.