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'We had a bad run in last 4-5 years': PBKS' Ness Wadia sets major target for Kumble & co. after winning '50% of battle'
Wadia believes that they have completed “50%” of the job, and that the onus is now on the players and the support staff to deliver.
Punjab Kings were one of the four franchises which completed the maximum quota of 25 players in the Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction, held earlier this month. The PBKS roped in star Indian players like Shikhar Dhawan, Shahrukh Khan, and Rahul Chahar, and also invested heavily in overseas players like Liam Livingstone, Jonny Bairstow, and Kagiso Rabada, among others.
They went into the mega auction with the purse of INR 72 crore (maximum of all franchises) and their decisions were largely lauded by the pundits. The side has underperformed since IPL's inception, reaching the final only once in 14 attempts. They blew hot and cold in the last three seasons to end up sixth out of eight teams.
However, Wadia believes that they have completed “50%” of the job, and that the onus is now on the players and the support staff to deliver.
“50% of the battle is getting the right team, which is what we've done. Now it's up to the players, coaches Anil (Kumble), Jonty (Rhodes) and Damien (Wright), to really take us to that elusive title we have been waiting for so long,” Wadia told PTI.
“Or at least a place in the top four play-offs because we have had a bad run the last four-five years.”
In recent seasons, Punjab struggled with power hitting in the middle-order, as well as in the death bowling.
“We have well-balanced squad now. We bat all the way down to eight or nine and have the bowlers who can do the job both upfront and at the death.” Wadia said.
"I would say this was the toughest and most successful auction for us since the first edition in 2008," said Wadia comparing the current squad to the 2008 batch which had the likes of Yuvraj Singh, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Brett Lee and Irfan Pathan.
