Despite winning just two out of their six games in IPL 2024, Punjab Kings were able to take most of their games to the last over before missing on the last hurdle narrowly.

Mullanpur: Giving players freedom to express themselves and showing faith in their skillset have been the mantra to success for Punjab Kings in IPL 2024, felt spin-bowling case Sunil Joshi ahead of their important clash against Mumbai Indians. Despite losing four matches in six games, Punjab Kings were able to take the game to the last over on a couple of occasions before losing the game, especially against the likes of Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals.

While Punjab Kings lost to SRH by two runs, Rajasthan Royals were made to fight for every single run before romping home with just a ball to spare in Mullanpur. “I think it’s important to give players a good run in this format. It shows faith and trust in their skillset,” Joshi said on the eve of the MI encounter.
“This is what this franchise is giving to all players and to staff as well. You have to give players time to perform. Hence, we are sticking to the same combination,” he added. “Every match is important. Our thought process is always to win.

“If we look at the last three games, the match has gone to the last ball, and anyone can win in that situation, especially in this format. We have done well to stretch the match for as long as we have,” said Joshi, a former India spinner.

However, Punjab Kings will be missing the services of regular captain Shikhar Dhawan due to a shoulder injury. In his absence, Sam Curran will lead the side. Sharing an update on Dhawan, Joshi said, “As far as an update on Shikhar Dhawan is concerned, the medical team will assess the situation and inform us.
“Now, he is in rehab. Sam Curran has been donning the Captain’s hat for us in his absence. He was also the stand-in captain last year when Dhawan was injured, and he led the side well. So, we trust him completely,” he said.

Joshi further explained why Punjab Kings have an advantage competing on the Mullanpur wicket if their top-order gets going in the powerplay overs. “Bowlers win tournaments, batters win matches. Our bowling unit is doing consistently well in all areas.

“We have addressed that our top-order needs to bat well in the powerplay overs. But this is a challenging wicket for all batters, especially for the visitors, because the nature of bounce is completely different from all other surfaces. It gives us an advantage on this surface,” he said.

“In each game, we have done well in the middle, and have finished well. In the upcoming game, we wish to focus on certain areas when it comes to spin bowling. We will look to reduce the total number of boundaries and focus on more dot balls and that is how we can put pressure on Mumbai batters,” Joshi signed off.