IPL 2021| KL Rahul 'disappointed' with PBKS batters; says 'they have let us down'

Punjab Kings’ skipper KL Rahul feels the poor batting display of his side led to their six-run defeat against Royal Challengers Bangalore in a must-win encounter. RCB made their way through to the playoffs owing to the brilliant exploits by Glenn Maxwell and Yuzvendra Chahal, who got the best of PBKS.

RCB posted an above-par total of 164 runs on a sluggish wicket of Sharjah, thanks to Maxwell’s third consecutive half-century of IPL 2021. However, in response, PBKS batters didn’t have answers to Chahal’s spin web as they could only manage 158 runs.

Rahul, who once again got the orange cap back on his head, claimed that he would have been happier if his side had won the match. He believes that the batters have been disappointing in the last few years and they need to up their game to come out on top.

"I wouldn't say I haven't enjoyed wearing it (the Orange Cap) but I would have been happier if we had qualified. It was a score that was par," KL Rahul said in the post-match presentation. Maybe 10-15 runs extra. "When a guy like Maxwell comes in with that sort of form, it makes it difficult. But with the bat, the last couple of years have been disappointing. If I have to be honest, our batting has let us down," said KL Rahul during the RCB vs PBKS post-match presentation.

Also, Rahul added that he doesn’t enjoy playing the role of the anchor, but given the team’s needs, he has to accept the responsibility.  “I'll be lying if I say it doesn't play on my mind that I play a role that the team demands. It's not something that I enjoy, but when you lead the team, you have to accept the responsibility,” added Rahul.

RCB vs PBKS: The performance of the youngsters has been a big positive for the team

Even though PBKS haven’t performed well in IPL 2021, several youngsters from the side have showcased their skills at the top level. Shahrukh Khan has been impressive with the bat, scoring quick runs whereas Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, and Harpreet Brar have delivered with the ball.

Rahul believes that the middle-order of the PBKS batting lineup should step up and score at a quick pace. Also, he praised the youngsters for their incredible performances and hopes to capitalize on that in the future.

“In T20, the top two or three do score a bulk of the runs. But we do need players to make those 25-30 runs at a quick rate, the power game which Shahrukh has started to do for us; the youngsters have done really well - Bishnoi, Arshdeep, and Harpreet have come through in the last 4-5 games and have matured a lot. They have shown a lot of heart which is great to see; hopefully, we can build on it and see how we can score more runs,” added Rahul.

Image: PTI