Before their key meeting with the runners of Kolkata Knight, the bowling coach of Punjab Kings, Sunil Joshi, congratulated Captain Shreyas Iyer for his improvement against the pace bowling this season. Addressing the media before the match that will see Shreyas Iyer for the first time to visit Eden Gardens after having led them to the IPL 2024 title and was not kept, Joshi also shared his ideas on the forms of the players and the team strategy. Joshi started by recognizing the return of the Indian Spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, who took four counters against the Knight Riders during their first meeting in New Chandigarh.
“I think Yuzi is the highest window taker in IPL history. Players in the big games don’t need to remember what they are capable of. They can always make a difference. It is just confidence and bowling in the right areas that help them perform strongly,” he said.
The Spin-Bowling coach was also questioned about Captain Shreyas Iyer, who helped KKR win his third title IPL last year, and his improvement while playing bowling.
“If you look back the contribution of Shreyas in the last 8 to 10 months, from the Champions Trophy, playing not only against the rapid bowling but also against Spin has become more coherent. He has shown hunger and is ready to accept each challenge he meets,” said the coach in response.
He added: “For any player of this caliber, you accept each challenge, each ball. I am sure he did a great job behind the scenes, which gives him results. This is excellent news and also offers good momentum to report as a leader.”
Joshi also discussed the theme of foreign players and their current form in the tournament. Showing confidence in the players, he said it was just a question of a good game before starting to show successful performances.
While discussing if there was a possibility of change in the team or the strategy based on the form of players abroad, Joshi said: “It’s just a question of a good game, whether by the bat or the ball. Tactically, we must see which player is suitable for the opposition that we are confronted with and how many matches there are. Keeping all this in mind, the captain, the coach and the staff derive a plan that is beneficial for the team.
Punjab Kings is currently positioned fifth in the point table with 10 points in the bag. Kolkata Knight Riders is in seventh position with six eight matches.
(With the exception of the title, this story has not been published by NDTV staff and is published from a unionized flow.)
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