‘Lost because of dropped catches’ - Brad Haddin on Punjab Kings' under-par performance against RCB

In a must-win game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Punjab Kings failed to deliver in crunch moments and faced their sixth home defeat in the IPL 2024 season. They had a good start with the ball as debutant Vidhwath Kaverappa picked crucial wickets of Faf du Plessis and Will Jacks but there were multiple moments where the team failed to seize the chances which came their way. 

Virat Kohli was dropped twice and he went on to score 92 runs off just 47 deliveries. After losing two key players, Kohli took control and bailed his team out of a difficult situation. Rajat Patidar, who came out to bat at number four, supported him well and hit 55 runs off 23 balls, as RCB went on to post a mammoth total of 241 runs. Patidar too was dropped on 0. Had PBKS sent these two back early, the night could have panned out differently for them.

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Speaking on the team's performance, PBKS coach Brad Haddin said they lost the match because of those drop catches. He explained that there wasn’t much difference between both teams barring those dropped catches.

“100 percent we lost the match because of dropped catches. If we look through the game, we dropped two guys on a duck, and both of them scored big runs. That was where the game was lost. There was not too much difference in the batting and bowling of both teams. The catches we put down cost us the game,” Haddin said in the post-match presentation ceremony.

It should not be tough work to motivate the boys: Brad Haddin

With the loss, Punjab are now out of the qualification race. While Haddin termed it a disappointment, he mentioned that it won’t be tough task to motivate the boys for the remaining two games as there have been plenty of positives in the campaign.

Also Read: Sam Curran apologizes to fans after PBKS crash out of IPL 2024

“It is disappointing. But it should not be tough work to motivate the boys. This is one of the premier competitions in the world. It's a great opportunity to show your skills. Look at Shashank Singh, and what he has done in the tournament. The players have to see the remaining two games as an opportunity and take what happened personally. And find a way to turn the result around and finish the season on a good note,” he added.