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'We don't have a good off-spinner': Shikhar Dhawan highlights big void in PBKS squad after KKR surrender
Punjab Kings have now failed to defend twice despite posting stiff totals on the board.
After a five-wicket defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Monday, Punjab Kings (PBKS) skipper Shikhar Dhawan blamed the absence of quality off-spinner as the reason behind the outcome. The Punjab skipper pointed it to be the main reason behind their lackluster show, as they have now failed to defend twice despite posting stiff totals on the board.
The PBKS opener appeared dejected after his side's final ball loss, also adding that the surface at Eden Gardens was not easy to bat on. He even praised Arshdeep Singh for dragging the match into the final despite having just six runs to defend in the final over.
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“Feels bad, of course not feeling great. Not an easy track to bat on, in the end they played well. It was a great effort from Arshdeep, the way he has bounced back from the last game. All credit to him that he took the game to the last ball.
"I feel that we don't have a good off-spinner. When left-handers come, from one end we have a leg-spinner and at the other end, we have a left-arm spinner. So that's where I feel we are leaking a bit of runs. This wicket was offering turn as well so I feel that's where we took the hit,” Dhawan said during the post-match presentation ceremony.
A half-century by skipper Nitish Rana and fiery cameos from Andre Russell Rinku Singh helped KKR clinch the much-needed win against as five teams are now placed on 10 points. They jumped to the fifth spot on the points table, while PBKS have slipped down to seventh.
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For PBKS, Rahul Chahar picked two wickets and conceded just 23 runs in four overs.
Earlier, a half-century by Shikhar Dhawan and late cameos from Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar and Rishi Dhawan drove PBKS to 179/7. Varun Chakravarthy picked up 3/26 in his four overs.
KKR will hope to carry forward the winning momentum when they host Rajasthan Royals in their next game in Kolkata. Punjab Kings will look to bounce back when they lock horns with Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in their next fixture.
