Jaipur, May 24 (H.S.): Ahead of the upcoming match against Delhi Capitals, Punjab Kings’ assistant coach Brad Haddin expressed confidence in the team’s batting unit on Friday and clarified that there will be no changes to captain Shreyas Iyer’s batting order.
In the previous match against Rajasthan Royals, Iyer was seen batting lower down the order, to which Haddin said, The circumstances that day were a bit different. Despite his finger injury, he showed bravery by stepping onto the field. He remained active at the boundary while fielding, and he will bat at number 3 again. He has been exceptional as both a batsman and a captain throughout this tournament.
In a press conference on Friday, Haddin stated, Our top order has performed excellently throughout the tournament. Shashank and Umran have played useful innings whenever needed. Shashank has scored some half-centuries, and Umran has also contributed well. At this stage, we are satisfied with the performance of all the batsmen.
Regarding Mitchell Owen, who joined the team in place of Lockie Ferguson but did not perform particularly well in the last match, the coach expressed his trust in him. He said, Mitch is a powerful striker. He has now understood the local conditions. He is continuously communicating with the Indian batsmen and coaching staff. We hope that the next time he steps onto the field, he will perform according to the team’s expectations.
Punjab Kings have already qualified for the playoffs, but Haddin stated that the team is still firmly focused on its set objectives. He said, We discussed with the players long ago about the kind of cricket we want to play. We want to maintain our style and progress towards our ultimate goal. This will be evident in the next few matches.
Speaking about the team’s bench strength, the coach mentioned, Right now, we have various combination options. The players on the bench are also excited about getting a chance to play. The training sessions have become quite competitive, which is a very positive thing at this stage of the tournament.
The match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals will be played today at 7:30 PM at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur.
Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
