Yet another feather of success is cast on Punjab Kings‘ spin-bowling coach Sunil Joshi’s cap as he kind of prepared to be on the ‘guard’ of captain Shreyas Iyer and his development through this season, especially about facing pace bowling with the big match approaching between Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders. Shreyas Iyer is at this time going to Eden Gardens for the first instance after winning the IPL 2024 title for the franchise but not being retained anymore. Joshi made sure to talk through all his movements as he discussed performance and the overall game plan with the players indicated to pack for a really exciting match.
On that note, Joshi gave a nod to Indian spinner, Yuzvendra Chahal who got into the mix and made quite an entry during their first meeting with the Knight Riders at New Chandigarh when he hanged four wickets against them. Joshi said, Yuzi is a great powerhouse in the IPL here. Actually, I think Yuzi is the highest wicket-taker in IPL history. It’s about confidence and hitting the right spots while bowling-in the end, though, judging from the guys who show us time and again that performance in big matches shows that they have it in them and can always change the game.
When asked about the captain Shreyas Iyer, who has last year brought KKR to the winning title, he opened up on his progress against spin bowling. If you check out Shreyas’s journey over the last several months, especially from the Champions Trophy onwards, he has been showing a lot of consistency against both fast and spin bowlers. There goes a strong desire, and he is ever ready for any challenge thrown at him, shared Joshi. He expressed, As with every challenge-and every delivery-from such a gifted player, I doubt he has worked so hard about it, and that is reflecting well. On his part, news that is good for him is also true for us as a team, hence strong energy going ahead as captain with him.
Joshi didn’t hold back on insights about the performance of their overseas colts as well, expressing confidence that all it takes is one game for the switch to turn on for them. Chambered with a question on whether there would be any changes to the lineup or how they plan to go about their business, he explained, “That one great game can change everything, either with the bat or with the ball. We need to consider the matchups for the team we’re facing and decide who fits best in those roles. Along those lines, the team, led by the captain, coach, and the rest of the staff, comes up with a strategy that aids the entire team.”
Currently, Punjab Kings hold the fifth position on the points table with 10 points racked up so far, while the Kolkata Knight Riders seem to be trailing behind at flat seventh place with just six points from their eight matches. It looks like there’s a lot on the stakes for both the teams in the upcoming clash!
