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Punjab were 10 runs short, says Mayank Agarwal

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Last updated on 03 May 2021 | 05:18 AM
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Punjab were 10 runs short, says Mayank Agarwal

Punjab Kings'stand-in skipper Mayank Agarwal felt that his team could've scored more runs in the middle overs following the loss against Delhi Capitals

Punjab Kings' (PBKS) stand-in skipper Mayank Agarwal felt that his team could have performed better in the middle overs following seven-wicket loss against Delhi Capitals (DC) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Sunday (May 2).

Agarwal, who took charge of the team in absence of KL Rahul scored a 58-ball 99 lift Punjab to a total of 166 for six. However, it proved to be inadequate as DC chased down the total in 17.4 overs.

"Would've liked two points but we were ten short on that wicket and for the kind of PowerPlay they had, we had to really scramble there," Agarwal, who was adjudged the Player of the Match, said during the post-match presentation.

"One batsman had to bat through and that was the plan, it was my day and tried to get as many as we can but didn't get as many in the middle overs but at least ended well.

"We have to shut this off and turn up next game and put our best foot forward, figure ways how to get those two points."

With regular skipper KL Rahul set to undergo surgery and required to serve a strict quarantine period to rejoin the squad bubble, Agarwal was unsure if Chris Gayle will be moved to the opener role.

"That's something (Gayle or Malan) we have to to speak about but for the moment this is the strategy that we went with and we got a decent score. May be probably 10 runs short," said Agarwal.

The team is also not sure if the foreign player line-up will reshuffled to make space for Moises Henriques.

"That's something we will think about, going ahead. With Delhi's batting, we needed firepower to get the wickets, that was lacking. We back our bowlers to do that for us," he said.

DC skipper Rishabh Pant was extremely pleased with the way his team approached the chase.

"Shikhar and Prithvi gave us a very good start. In the first innings, the ball was gripping and even in the second innings, it was slow but the way they started was commendable," he said.

"It feels so good when you have a great start in every match. Most of the things are sorted but we need to try a few things for the Kolkata leg."

DC will play five matches at the Eden Gardens after taking on Kolkata Knight Riders on Saturday.

Shikhar Dhawan, who scored an unbeaten 47-ball 69, said his team was looking to close the chase quickly as it would help their net run rate.

"Really happy with the way we chased the score down. Prithvi and myself were able to get a great start. Smith chipped in nicely and I knew I had to go till the end. Perfectly crafted innings, I enjoyed it," he said.

"Once we knew that we can close the game, we wanted to finish the game early around 19 overs, but Hetmyer finished it in the 18th. He's been amazing with the way he has been striking. Good to up the strike rate. Both runs and strike rate are important."

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