GT vs PBKS: It Was Nice The Way Liam Livingstone Played, Got The Score Quickly - Mayank Agarwal After 8-Wicket Win Over GT
Punjab Kings (PBKS) captain Mayank Agarwal was impressed with Liam Livingstone’s pyrotechnics at the end of their league game against Gujarat Titans (GT) at the DY Patil Stadium on Tuesday.
Livingstone smashed 28 runs off Mohammed Shami’s over to take PBKS over the line with 24 balls to spare. Not only was that a great confidence boost for Livingstone, it also pushed the net run rate of PBKS towards the positive side.
“We would like to string a few (wins), no better time than getting a few wins back-to-back. We are trying to get the best out of Jonny. He’s done well opening. I said, ‘It’s okay, I’ll bat at four, I’ll anchor the innings at four’. With Livi it was clear, Shikhar Dhawan to bat through and Livi could out and play the way he wants to play.”
“It was nice the way he played, got the score quickly. When we got to that position, two points are almost clear, if we can score it as quickly as possible, we could also improve the Net Run-Rate,” Mayank said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
Earlier, PBKS bowlers did a fabulous job to restrict GT to just 143. They picked up wickets at regular intervals, ensuring that no batter was ever settled at the crease. Kagiso Rabada took 4 wickets while 3 other bowlers chipped in with a wicket each.
“I thought we bowled exceedingly well, we got early wickets and choked them in the middle. That really helped us to restrict them to a below-par score. The partnership between Shikhar and Bhanu was crucial for us,” Mayank added.
With the win, PBKS is now in 5th place on the points table while Gujarat remains at the top, almost certain to qualify for the playoffs.
Final Scores:
GT – 143/8 in 20 overs
PBKS – 145/2 in 16 overs
