Manan Vohra disappointed he could not get Kings XI Punjab over the line in IPL

Manan Vohra, who slammed a magnificent 95 off 50 balls versus Sunrisers Hyderabad, has rued the fact that he could not get Kings XI Punjab over the line in a tense 2017 Indian Premier League clash.

Manan Vohra’s magnificent 95 off 50 balls went in vain as Kings XI Punjab suffered their third consecutive loss in the 2017 Indian Premier League, going down by five runs to defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad at Uppal on Monday. (IPL 2017 full coverage)

Manan Vohra slammed a magnificent 95 but Kings XI Punjab lost by five runs to Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2017 Indian Premier League. (BCCI)

Chasing 160, Vohra had single-handedly propped up Kings XI Punjab as they needed just 16 runs off 12 balls. However, he was dismissed by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who picked up 5/19 as they lost the game. The Punjab right-hander rued the fact that he could not get the team over the line.

“I just wished that Kings XI Punjab would cross the line. I got a great opportunity to finish the game but I am disappointed that I could not do it,” Vohra said in the post-match press conference.

The right-hander has been part of the Kings XI Punjab set-up for five years and he has often been criticised for not converting a start into a big score. In 39 games for the franchise since 2013, Vohra has managed only three fifties at the top but in this innings, he decided to concentrate hard. “Being my fifth year of IPL, I did not convert starts into big scores. If I hung around for 14-15 overs, I knew I could score big runs and it would be help the team,” Vohra said.

‘Had to curb my natural game’

Chasing 160, Kings XI Punjab lost Hashim Amla (0) and Glenn Maxwell (10) cheaply. Eoin Morgan and Vohra steadied the ship with a 41-run stand before Kings XI PUnjab lost three wickets for five runs. Vohra said this was the turning point of the game.

“I thought I could go for my shots . However, with Maxwell and Amla falling cheaply, I had to curb my game. We lost our way in between. Morgan and I wanted to knock the balls around and play normal cricketing shots in order to build a partnership,” Vohra said.

His dismissal for 95 in the 19th over, when he missed a ball from Bhuvneshwar Kumar to hand the bowler his maiden five-wicket haul, ensured that Sunrisers Hyderabad jumped to third spot in the points table. Kings XI Punjab next play Mumbai Indians in Indore on April 20.