IPL: Punjab Kings look for a win at new home
Chandigarh, May 4
Having two consecutive wins in their kitty, the Punjab Kings management will be facing the five-time champions Chennai Super Kings, without any changes in their winning combination, during the Indian Premier League (IPL) home clash at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) stadium, Dharamsala.
In their first home match at Dharamsala, Punjab Kings will face Chennai on May 5. Punjab defeated Kolkata Knight Riders, chasing down the world T20 record total of 262 last week. Earlier this week, the side picked a big win over the Chennai Super Kings, chasing 163 with seven wickets in hand and 13 balls to spare. Entering the contest with a positive mindset and on the back of two solid victories, Punjab bowling coach, Sunil Joshi said his side will stick with the same playing combination.
“No, we are not going touch the winning combination. I don’t think we will be making any changes,” said Joshi on the eve of the match. The former Indian left-arm spinner further gave an update on skipper Shikhar Dhawan’s injury and also praised Sam Curran for taking over the leadership role effectively in the former’s absence.”
“His (Dhawan) rehabilitation is on the track. He is doing well, but he is not available for the game. Hopefully, he will be back for the final two games of the league stage,” Joshi added. “Even during last season, he (Dhawan) was injured and Sam (Curran) had to come up as captain. Considering the last two results, Sam had really stepped up for the team,” he said.
At a crucial stage now, Punjab Kings is looking ahead to grab a position among the top-four to qualify for the playoffs. The side will play two matches at Dharamsala before playing their rest of the away matches. Joshi insisted his side is focused on getting the right results and is not too focused on the points’ table calculations.
“Our approach is to put in the best effort and to win the game. The table calculations will favour, only if we win. We don’t see that part (points’ table) very closely. What we look at is what the areas we can do better are, what we have not done in the past few games and what best we can do. Our plan of action is to keep winning. The challenge is always with the bat and ball. It’s a good surface. I keep telling players to hold their horses and execute their skill,” Joshi added.
The Punjab squad is currently positioned 7th at the table, while Chennai is placed better at the 5th position.
