IPL 2022: Want to play aggressive, expresses PBKS skipper Mayank after win over MI
Apr 14, 2022
Pune (Maharashtra) [India], April 14 : Punjab Kings skipper Mayank Agarwal expressed happiness after his side thrashed Mumbai Indians on Wednesday.
Brilliant half-centuries by Mayank Agarwal and Shikhar Dhawan were backed by courageous bowling performance as Punjab Kings defeated Mumbai Indians by 12 runs in their IPL 2022 match at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium here on Wednesday.
"It was a good night, very happy to contribute to the team's win. The crucial thing for us was the two points. We can't just say it was runs on the board, this game had a lot of ups and downs. There were a lot of crucial moments and more often than not, we were nailing and winning those moments. When the game was 50-50, we won those moments and it came towards us. It wasn't batting alone, it was periods in the game," said Mayank in a post-match presentation.
"That's the brand of cricket we want to play, we want to play aggressive, hard cricket. With that, we got to show good mindset. We were a lot smarter as well. In the last game against Gujarat, we gave wickets to Rashid when it wasn't required. This time we were a lot more aware, we were a lot more careful and made sure that we don't try and give wickets to their main bowlers," he added.
Rahul Chahar got thrashed by Dewald Brevis, as he scored 29 runs in his over. But the spinner made a massive comeback as he conceded only 15 runs in his next three overs.
"We've spoken about in the team - 'If it's your day, you got to take the team through.' It can get hard, credit to Brevis for the way he took on Rahul. Great comeback from Rahul as well after that over. The other three overs he bowled were tight. When Tilak and Brevis were going, we had to change our strategy, get in the main bowlers and try and get a wicket. Luckily it happened through run-outs and also our main bowlers taking wickets," said Mayank.
"We don't rely just on Rabada (for wickets). He leads the attack, but we have two other guys to do that. It's nice, very happy to have three wins. We are playing good cricket overall. If we continue to do that, if we improve 5-10 per cent every game, we'll go on to do special things," he added.
Mayank Agarwal played an innings of 52 while Shikhar Dhawan smashed 70 runs as the opening duo stitched a 97-run partnership for the first wicket to guide PBKS to a defendable target of 198/5. For MI, Basil Thampi scalped two wickets while star pacer of team Jasprit Bumrah took one wicket.
This is Mumbai Indians' fifth successive loss in the Indian Premier League 2022 while for Punjab this is their third win of the season.