PBKS vs LSG: There Were Too Many Soft Dismissals - Mayank Agarwal

Punjab Kings lost their 5th game of the season as they couldn’t chase down 153 put up by Lucknow Super Giants in Match 42 of IPL 2022 here at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune.

Mayank Agarwal, the captain of PBKS wasn’t a happy man as he felt that there were a lot too many soft dismissals during their chase.

We Just Kept Losing Wickets: Mayank Agarwal

Punjab Kings did well to restrict LSG to 153 in their first innings. Kagiso Rabada led the charge with the ball as he picked up 4 wickets in the match. Although Arshdeep Singh did not pick a wicket he bowled an economical spell, conceding just 23 runs. Sandeep Sharma too made a good comeback into this game after being taken down by Ambati Rayudu in the last game as he finished his quota with 1 for 18.

Punjab Kings’ batters were disappointing though, as none of them could really manage to stay there till the end. Mayank Agarwal after getting a good start was caught by his counterpart, KL Rahul. Shikhar Dhawan, Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Jitesh Sharma too got out cheaply.

Liam Livingstone was playing well but he tried a shot too many as he threw his wicket away. In the end, it was too much work for Jonny Bairstow to do as he took in trying to get closer to the target and got out at the third man of Dusmantha Chameera.

“I think we just kept losing wickets. We had batsmen who were set but we kept getting out. That’s where we lost the game, so many soft dismissals for us. Obviously, it’s disappointing. We need to face the truth that we didn’t bat well today. It should have been chased down but we were below par with the bat. The new ball was doing a bit. There was good bounce and it was seaming a bit. So the new ball was crucial but after that, it did get a lot better to bat on. I think the one oddball was stopping and turning a bit”, Agarwal said on his team’s batting performance in the game.

“I think we’re bowling exceedingly well. As a bowling unit, we’re doing a lot of things right. Arshdeep has stepped up, even Rahul got wickets today, KG being the big guy has stepped up and gotten us important wickets”, he added about the way his bowlers have bowled this season.

Punjab Kings are at the 7th position on the points table and wins in their last 5 games too might not guarantee them a place in the playoffs.

Also Read: PBKS vs LSG: Watch – Jonny Bairstow’s Brilliant Throw From The Deep To Run-Out Deepak Hooda