'We're comfortable where he is at,' Brad Haddin backs Prabhsimran Singh

Prabhsimran Singh set the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 on fire with a brisk 12-ball 23 in the first game against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Mohali, but in the second game against Rajasthan Royals (RR) he dismantled the bowling unit with 60 off just 34 deliveries. 

However, in the next two games, he has failed to get off the mark, but Punjab Kings (PBKS) assistant coach Brad Haddin has stated that the 22-year-old will continue to be backed.

"The thing with young guys is that they will go through that. The most important thing now is that they're learning the reasons why. We've seen against Rajasthan he's extremely talented when he gets in. He's got a lot of power, shots around the field and he can be a match-winner," Haddin said in the post-match press conference.

"So, it's about him understanding his tempo and his role. We're going to back him to play a style of game we need in the first six overs and it's going to be high-risk game. So, you're going to see some good and bad performances."

While Haddin acknowledged that Punjab do have other opening options, Prabhsimran's place was safe, given that he plays in a high-pressure environment and not everything he does is going to come off everytime.

We've got a lot of options in the squad. But at the moment, his role is safe at the top of the order to play a proactive game. We've seen in this tournament if you give the guys a couple of extra games they normally come good," Haddin said.

"They're extremely talented players. He plays in a high-pressure role in the first six overs to take the game on. We're comfortable where he is at. He'd obviously like some more runs but the upside when he gets things right and finds some consistency he'd be a very dangerous player for sometime."

Haddin also acknowledged that Punajb did not have enough runs on the board against Gujarat Titans (GT) and has called for his batters to be a little more proactive.

"I think today it was our batting," Haddin said when asked where he thought PBKS lost the game.

"We probably left 20-30 runs out there. In the end, that's probably the difference in the result. Last game I thought Hyderabad bowled well. This time it was our fault with the bat not capitalising on a few guys that got in a be a little more proactive to find those 20-30 runs."

After winning their first two games, PBKS have now lost two games in a row. They will hope to return to winning ways when they take on Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Saturday (April 15) in Lucknow.