IPL 2018: We Had a Decent April But a Horrible May – Ravichandran Ashwin
Nov 26, 2018 at 12:09 PM
Five wins off the first six games and just a solitary victory out of the remaining eight games; the stat itself reveals the miserable storyline of Kings XI Punjab (KXIP). Their journey has been like a blockbuster movie which got a great story before the interval but lost its plot after the interval coupled with a terribly weak climax. Meanwhile, the skipper, Ravichandran Ashwin feels that the low confidence played a key role in the downfall of Kings XI.
Middle-order didn’t click at all: Ashwin
Much like Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Ashwin also cited the failure of the middle-order department was one of the reasons for the ouster from the tournament.
Chennai-based Ashwin added that the most of the run-scoring has been done by KL Rahul and Gayle in the initial part of the tourney while middle-order has escaped from the challenges upfront.
”Tough days at the office. We didn’t bat very well. Lost three wickets in the powerplay and from there it was going to be a catch-up. Karun got us a good score but it was always 20-30 runs below par. We put down a catch. It never came together in the latter half of the tournament. We had a decent April but a horrible May,” Ashwin maintained during the post-match briefing.
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”We had Ankit who swung it around in this conditions. Should’ve latched onto the catch, but that happens in cricket. Even in the first half, we were playing in Mohali. KL and Gayle were making most of the runs but the middle-order didn’t click at all which was expected, which hurt us in the latter half of the tournament,” he added.
Loads of positives but we haven’t applied ourselves: Ashwin
Ironically, KL Rahul has been one of the consistent contenders for Orange cap while Andrew Tye owns the Purple cap but still, KXIP found themselves on the wrong side of the things.
Admitting the same, Ashwin said that they have got loads of positives but unfortunately, couldn’t be applied themselves. He also wants to bring a change in team culture for next year IPL as well.
”Ankit did really well, and of course, KL was amazing. We have the purple cap holder in Tye as well. So loads of positives but we haven’t applied ourselves. We haven’t commanded any respect at all in terms of getting results on our own terms. The game against RCB cost a lot, not only in terms of run-rate but especially in terms of morale. A good team culture will help us win tournaments in the future, so I’d like to build that culture slowly in this new-look franchise and we’ll look to do much better next time,” he concluded.
However, it is yet another forgettable season for Kings XI and they need to wait one more year in order to see themselves in the fight for the championship.