IPL: Changing the ball would be fair to the team bowling second, says KL Rahul
Apr 18, 2021
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 19 : Punjab Kings skipper KL Rahul wants that the ball to be changed every two overs in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 as it becomes difficult for the bowlers to have a grip because of dew during the second half of the match.
Mayank Agarwal and Rahul on Sunday played brilliant innings to help Punjab set a 196-run target for the Delhi Capitals. However, Shikhar Dhawan's ferocious knock took the game away as Delhi Capitals registered an easy six-wicket win at the Wankhede.
"Dew did sway things. Bowling second is always a challenge at the Wankhede. We always try to prepare for such conditions but it does get difficult in the situations," Rahul told host broadcaster Star Sports at the post-match presentation.
"I think it would be fair [the ball changes every two overs,] and I'm not just saying that because I'm on the losing side. I did ask the umpires to change the ball a couple of times but that's not in the rules," he added.
Mayank's sensational knock of 69 from 36 balls and a final over cameo by Shahrukh Khan helped Punjab Kings post an impressive 195/4 in their allotted 20 overs. In response, Dhawan's stupendous knock of 92 and Marcus Stoinis' unbeaten 27 off 13 helped Delhi Capitals get over the line with 10 balls to spare.
Rahul, who celebrated his 29th birthday on Sunday, was disappointed with the loss and admitted that Punjab Kings were 10-15 runs short of the par score.
"A victory would've been sweet on my birthday. Slightly disappointing but we've still got a lot of games left. In the end, when you look at it, it does look 10-15 short," said Rahul.
"But I felt after batting in the middle, 196 was really good. In the first half, Mayank and I were saying the same, that we'd be good if we got 180-190. But obviously, at Wankhede there's dew and credit to Dhawan for the way he batted," he added.
Punjab Kings will next take on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday.
