Mayank Agarwal, the skipper of the Punjab Kings, has hinted at a probable change in strategy for the team in the upcoming Indian Premier League games. Mayank hinted that following the team’s victory over the Gujarat Titans on May 3rd.
PBKS’ opener and captain, opted to bat in the middle order. On the day, Agarwal did not bat, with Shikhar Dhawan and Jonny Bairstow beginning the innings.
Bairstow failed to score against Gujarat, but Shikhar Dhawan anchored the innings with a 53-ball 62. Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Liam Livingston batted third and fourth, respectively, and produced two outstanding innings to help Punjab win the game.
Mayank discussed the move after the game, saying it was a change of strategy by Punjab following their hit-or-miss performances. “We would like to string a few wins back to back now. [Decision to send Livingston up the order and Bairstow to open.] We’re trying to get the best out of Jonny. He’s done well opening the innings and I said I’ll go anchor at No. 4 and he can express himself. Shikhar was going to bat through and Livy could go up there and play the way he wants to play. It was nice the way he played and got the score pretty quickly,” the captain said.
Mayank praised the bowling unit, saying that they did an outstanding job of keeping the Gujarat batting line-up in check, and that the squad would like to expand into other teams from here.
Punjab Kings have moved up to fifth place in the points table as a result of their victory, and they will seek to win their remaining games to ensure a place in the competition’s semi-finals.
