IPL 2023: Shikhar Dhawan rues PBKS' inability to fire as a unit after four-wicket loss against RR ends playoff hopes

A disappointed Punjab Kings (PBKS) captain Shikhar Dhawan rued his team’s inability to fire as a unit in all three departments after their four-wicket defeat at the hands of Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Dharamsala on Friday.

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Two days after their 15-run loss at the hands of Delhi Capitals (DC), also at the HPCA Stadium, Punjab failed to defend a score of 187 and became the third team after DC and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) to bow out of the playoffs race in the process.

“We could have done better in all the areas I think. Sometimes the batting was clicking, and sometimes the bowling was clicking, we couldn’t put those performances together.

“But it’s a young group, so we have learnt a lot of things this season,” Dhawan said after the match.

Punjab posted 187 for 5, a target achieved by RR in 19.4 overs.

Dhawan said losing too many wickets in powerplay restricted them from reaching 200-run mark, which should have been a good score on this wicket.

“We lost too many wickets in the powerplay and that put us on the backfoot, but (Sam) Curran, Jitesh (Sharma) and Shahrukh (Khan) got us back in the game, the bowling was good (in patches), but the fielding wasn’t great, the dropped catches cost us the game.

“I feel 200 should have been a good total on this pitch. I knew I had to take the game deep, so I wanted my best bowlers to bowl early, so Rahul (Chahar) had to bowl the last over. In the last game I gave Harpreet (Brar) the final over, it depends on the surface and the situation,” he said.

The win kept RR’s slim play-off hopes alive though it depends on results of other remaining matches.

“We have a quality team and it is a little shocking to see where we stand on the table,” RR skipper Sanju Samson said.

He praised the breath-taking batting effort of Yashasvi Jaiswal in this edition of the IPL.

“I have been talking about Jaiswal almost every game. He has shown maturity. It feels he has played 100 T20Is,” Samson said.

Devdutt Padikkal, who set the game up for Rajasthan with a 30-ball 51 and stitched a match-winning 73-run stand with Yashasvi Jaiswal (50), expressed satisfaction over firing in a crucial game in which his team had been pushed to the backfoot.

“Was hitting well coming into the season, but it didn’t come off well. Every game you come into the side and you want to win the game. Finally I could make an impact.

“It has been that kind of a season where I have been all over the place with the order. Doesn’t matter which position I bat, I have to learn. At the start of the season not sure if i could make it. I was in a very bad shape. Thankful to everyone who supported me,” Padikkal said during the post-match presentation ceremony.

With inputs from PTI

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