Follow UsIt was a superb day for the Punjab Kings (PBKS) openers, who put on 120 for the first wicket against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Eden Gardens on April 26 (Saturday). Priyansh Arya scored 69 off 35, while his partner Prabhsimran Singh slammed 83 off just 49.
The duo made a slow start, assessing the conditions, before going after the bowling, as per the advice of senior bowler Yuzvendra Chahal.
"Yuzi bhaiya came to me before the match started and explained how the wicket would behave on the day. It helped me because I am not the best in reading the tracks," Priyansh said.
Prabhsimran also acknowledged the veteran spinner's inputs, which helped him score big.
"Before the match Yuzi paaji told me that I am contributing well with 30-35 runs at the top. He told me that the ball will spin on the track, and hence I should take my time in adjusting to the conditions. So, I took my time initially and it helped me later on to play my shots. All thanks to Yuzi paaji," he said.
Pleased with PBKS' batting performance, head coach Ricky Ponting also acknowledged their contribution, especially the openers.
"We knew the wicket might not be as good as some others that we have batted on. We talked about being a little bit more circumspect in the power play, making sure we had set-batters going through into the next phase against their spinners. The things that we spoke about today were executed perfectly by the openers," Ponting said.
"Prabh, you gave yourself an extra few balls, and you scored 83 off 49, which set the game up perfectly for us, so, well done. We take one point out of the game, but I think as a group we can take a whole lot more of that."
PBKS, who are fourth in the IPL 2025 points table, will take on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) next on April 30 (Wednesday) at Chepauk.