Hopefully our foreign batsmen will come good in Mumbai: Ravi Ashwin

Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) were appalling in Indore last night against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and the loss has jeopardised their playoffs qualification. They have lost three back-to-back games now and somehow need to find a way to come out of the rut. Their over-dependence on the openers have hit the danger-level mark and they have to win the next couple of games now to keep themselves in the contention. However, the skipper R Ashwin is hopeful and confident that his team will bounce back in their next game against Mumbai Indians (MI).

The net run-rate of Punjab also took a hit after the loss and for the first time, this season, came out of the top four in the points table. While the form of the middle-order has been a worry for the team, the bowling has turned abysmal in the last few matches as well. If their recent form is anything to go by, they have conceded 334 runs in just 28.1 overs which is not a good sign when all the teams are looking to sneak in into the playoffs. They will have to up their game soon or will be knocked out of the tournament.

Ashwin gives an example of Murali Vijay

During the post-match press conference, R Ashwin gave a perfect example of Murali Vijay playing a match-winning knock in the final after a poor show throughout the season when he used to play for Chennai Super Kings (CSK). This was his answer when asked about the struggling middle-order of the team. “I played in a franchise before called CSK where one batsman made absolutely no runs during the league stage and then went on to make 95 in the final, big batsmen come good at the big moments,” he was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.

He was also upbeat about his team’s chances in their next match and was confident that they will win against Mumbai who are also facing similar issues like Punjab. “We have lost three on the bounce now, don’t think we can lose four on the bounce. The next match is in Mumbai which has plenty of bounce and generally the foreign batsmen enjoy playing in those conditions, so hopefully our foreign batsmen will also come good,” he went on to say.

The last week of the league stages is expected to be a thrilling one and the teams should be on their toes in order to qualify for the knockout stages.

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