IPL 2020: Sunil Gavaskar gives credit to Kumble for instilling fighting spirit into Punjab

With Punjab peaking at the right time in the ongoing Dream11 IPL 2020, Sunil Gavaskar feels that head coach Anil Kumble's fighting spirit has been the main reason behind the success of the KL Rahul-led side.

At one point in time, it appeared that it was all over for the 2014 finalists. However, they staged a remarkable comeback by registering four successive wins against Bangalore, defending champions Mumbai, Delhi, and Hyderabad respectively to resurrect their campaign. 

'Do not forget the role of Anil Kumble!': Sunil Gavaskar

"Do not forget the role of Anil Kumble! Anil Kumble has been a fighter all his cricketing career, you could see when he went out with a broken jaw and bowled, and that spirit is seen in the KXIP," said Gavaskar on Star Sports show Cricket Live.

"That is the reason why they have come back from impossible situations and are now in the hunt for the place in the playoffs," he added.

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Punjab snatch victory from the jaws of defeat against Hyderabad

Punjab were restricted to a below-par total of 126/7 from their 20 overs riding on Nicholas Pooran's unbeaten 32 after being put in to bat by Hyderabad skipper David Warner at the Dubai International Stadium, Dubai on Saturday. 

In reply, the Orange Army were cruising towards an easy win as skipper Warner and Jonny Bairstow added 56 runs for the opening stand before both of them were dismissed in quick succession. Nonetheless, Manish Pandey and Vijay Shankar looked to complete the formalities again as they had done against Rajasthan a couple of nights ago. 

Once Pandey was sent back courtesy of an unbelievable catch by Jagadeesha Suchith at the boundary, the 2016 winners lost their way in the run chase as neither Shankar nor youngster Priyam Garg could do anything exceptional. Eventually, they were bundled out for 114 on the penultimate ball of the contest as the 2014 runners-up registered a 12-run win to keep their playoffs alive.

A confident Punjab will now be aiming to register their fifth consecutive win of this season when they face the two-time champions Kolkata at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Monday. 

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(With ANI Inputs)