Gulf News experts, fan laud Lucknow Super Giants bowlers' role in crucial win
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00:00golden opportunity missed by Punjab. First, they had Lucknow on the mat by 120 for 7
00:06and two overs to go, they allowed some 26-28 runs to be scored.
00:19Hello, good evening. Welcome to yet another episode of Straight Back with Mr. Cricket, UAE
00:24and Gulf News. Here we are converging after yet another IPL game between Lucknow Supergiants and
00:32Punjab Kings. Punjab Kings really let things slip there after their bowlers did a very decent job
00:37what I thought when the action moved to Pune and then finally Lucknow walked away with very crucial
00:44two points. So with me, I've got Mr. Anish Sajjan, Mr. Cricket, UAE himself,
00:51Sahil Sajjan, a cricket enthusiast. We've got A.K. Satish, sports editor of Gulf News
00:57and Clinton Rebello, a devout Punjab Kings fan who will be crestfallen today.
01:04Yes, but I'm sure he'll have some harsh things to say. But yes, I'll come to
01:11Anish bhai first. Anish bhai, how do you sum up this game? A golden opportunity missed for Punjab?
01:17Yeah. Thank you, Gautam. Hello, Satish. Hi, Sahil. Hello, Clinton. And hello to all the
01:21lovely and gorgeous people of Gulf News. You're spot on, Gautam. Golden opportunity missed by
01:27Punjab. First, they had Lucknow on the mat by 120 for seven and two overs to go. They allowed
01:33some 26-28 runs to be scored. But 150 on a Pune track. I know the ball was swinging around,
01:39but they made a mess of the chase. They had started decently, but the guys like Bairstow,
01:44Livingston, Dhawan, Rajapaksha, all did not put their hands up. And in the end,
01:50these two points will be very, very costly for Punjab. Now they need to win four out of five.
01:54Tough luck to Punjab. I'll come to Clinton. Clinton, this blow hot, blow cold thing seems
02:01to be continuing in another season, despite putting in their best effort and doing well
02:07in the auction, I would like to say. But the same old story? Yeah, absolutely. It's been
02:14happening now since 2020. Since 2021, we've not been able to win two games on the bounce.
02:22So either we won, lost, won, lost, won, lost. And there's been no momentum to build on. There's been
02:29a really hard to put to words. I mean, 154, if you can't chase 154 on with this kind of a batting
02:37lineup, you played three international batsmen, Livingston, Bairstow and Rajapaksha. And
02:45yeah, there's really nothing to put to words because a very horrendous performance,
02:51I would say, losing by 20 runs, not even coming close. And as Anish sir rightly pointed out,
02:58they gave away 28 runs in the last three overs and three sixes and three balls were hit
03:05by the tail enders of Lucknow. So that eventually made the difference.
03:09Sahil, I know that whenever Punjab Kings play, normally you throw in your lot behind them.
03:18Today, what was the story? What to say about Punjab Kings, the same old story.
03:25Target was 156. They had to go steady. Mayank was going good. Mayank got out after a good
03:32catch from Rahul. Then it was a good time for Bairstow to be a hero. But again, he scored 30
03:37runs, but 32 or 28 is not accepted in T20. But this was a time for him to be a hero. And again,
03:44he's failed for Punjab Kings, I got to say. And Livingston, I'm sorry to say,
03:49but he threw his wicket away. That is the worst shot I've ever seen.
03:55On that note, I'll come to Satish. Satish, you know, what goes wrong with this team,
04:00even when the two newcomers, they are showing how to win when things are not going your way,
04:05how to win a scrap, basically. But you know, Punjab, when today Shikhar Dhawan was not being
04:11able to break the shackles, and then he went for the slog sweep against Ravi Bishnoi,
04:16lost his wicket fine. But still, this time, there was a batting lineup with which they
04:20could have managed that 155-156 odd target. So what's failing? I mean, is it the strategizing?
04:28What is going wrong? What do you think? I think it's clear, Gautam, last game,
04:34when they played Chennai, I think Shikhar Dhawan hit the nail on the head saying that
04:38we can't play one way of cricket like going and attacking. I think instead of stopping at one
04:45match against Chennai, they should have continued. Okay, if Shikhar is not able to
04:50continue, then one of the openers, either Mayank or Shikhar, one of them should have
04:56planned it in such a way that, okay, I will take it deep, and then I will stay in one end,
05:00and then you can attack in the other end. So these are some of the small… Especially when
05:04you are chasing small totals on tricky wickets. I think the wicket was stopping and coming,
05:08and it was not a perfect wicket where you go and start hitting your shots. So one of them
05:14should have strategized and said, okay, if you play well, you go for it. Again, if both
05:20openers go, both will be striking the form immediately. They might not find the touch
05:25immediately. So the person who finds the touch immediately goes for a big shot, and then the one
05:30who is not able to find the touch, scraps his way around to some 30-40 runs, whereas the other end,
05:36they keep attacking. These are some of the elementary things that you need to plan,
05:40strategize, when you chase a total, when you set a total. These are all very elementary,
05:46but I think somewhere down the line, they are going wrong. And again, after that, I also need
05:52to give credit to the Lucknow bowlers who did not give much room for these batmen to maneuver and
06:00hit them through the line, or hit them… Especially the one which Krunal Pandya has bowled four overs,
06:06one made in 11 runs and two wickets. What an amazing spell that was. That means you are
06:11looking at 16 overs, you have to score 140. So that means the run rate is going up, the pressure
06:16is mounting. So in the end, Lucknow played a good game. They did the basics right, whereas Punjab
06:23may miss those finer movements or the smaller points which should have given them the victory.
06:28I will come back to Anish. We are getting this assembly line of
06:36pacers who are coming out of the woodwork with each match. Now, I am not too sure if Mohsin
06:42got his first match today, but I found him… I think he played second match.
06:47Last match he played against Chennai. That was his first game.
06:50Okay. Okay. Right. Now, this tall and strapping left-arm pacer, and he is a homegrown lad.
06:57He plays for UP and he has done very well in the Mushtaq Ali Tufi. That's why he was selected.
07:02Now, what do you feel about this trend in general? We have spoken about Umran, but
07:08each day we have got a Umran Malik there, we have got a Kuldeep Sen there, and now Mohsin.
07:15Your thoughts, Anishbhai, on him? Well, we are happy to see these pacers coming off well
07:21and bowling well, like you talk about Mohsin. He had done well in the last game also against
07:25Chennai where they managed to defend the target. And today again, his spell of 4-0 was 24 and he
07:33picked up three wickets. Okay, the last two wickets came and they were trying to slog him out, but he
07:37has pace also. Mind you, he bowls quick. At the same time, he has the slow ball. But just since
07:43Satish mentioned a very important point, whenever you are chasing, one person has to take the game
07:47deep. Because today what happened, the run rate was not big and going in the end. But they did
07:53not have batters. You cannot expect the other guy whom we are talking about, who went Rishi
07:59Dhawan. He is coming after a long time, for I think three or four years gap. I did not expect
08:05him to chase it down. But having said that, if one batsman, whether after the fall of Livingstone,
08:11Bairstow should have put his hand up, yes, I will take the game deep. Let the other guys attack from
08:15the other side. And in the end, 30 overs with a set batsman you can get because if you have a good
08:21player, whether it is Bairstow, whether it is Livingstone, somebody should have put their hand
08:25up. But I am afraid these small mistakes cost the team. And today, Punjab will rue this heavily.
08:32Yeah. In fact, in the last game, I thought Raja Paksa is equipped to handle this kind of a
08:37situation where the stroke play is not easy. But even he was a failure today.
08:41No, but again, Raja Paksa, I think last game he was dropped a couple of times, if I remember
08:46right. He survived a chance and he got some runs behind his back.
08:50He needs to open, Satish. Satish, he needs to open here. Come on, you are making a player
08:55who is known to hit big sixes and give you a good start. Either he will fail or he will give you
08:59that 40-50 runs in the power play which is required. I mean, either Mayank will have to
09:04come one down or Dhawan. One of them have to sacrifice. You are making a player who is known
09:09to make use of the power play, waste his talent. I think that is where the team management and
09:15the team talk comes into play, isn't it? Because you need to strategize. The strategy is missing.
09:20I think time and again, this is one of the failures of Punjab over the years, isn't it?
09:26They have good team, they have good team on paper, but they don't know how to go about it,
09:30isn't it, Manisbhai? Agreed, agreed. Yes, yes. I'll come to Clinton. See,
09:36basically what's happening is it's all boiling down to the question of execution.
09:41You know, last couple of seasons, there were a lot of arbitrary changes in the team.
09:47Suddenly, you see, you're giving a break to an uncapped player just for the sake of it.
09:53These kinds of things were happening. Now, while that has been cut down to a lot more extent,
10:00but overall, the execution is missing. I mean, you have got the big names, but they're failing
10:04to take you over the line. I mean, this was the same team, which, you know, in the first leg game,
10:12they did it so well against Chennai. But whenever a critical moment, whenever there is a challenge,
10:19they are failing, you know, failing and failing miserably. So, you know, how do you have to sum
10:25up because this year, again, it looks the same old story. Yeah, absolutely. And even as a fan,
10:31you know, if you're watching Punjab play and you watch other teams play, even when the other
10:36teams are batting or, you know, they need, what, 70 of 30 and they have three wickets down, you'll
10:42say, oh, this is a walk in the park. But when Punjab is playing, even if they need 30 runs from
10:48three overs and three wickets are down, you'll still be sweating because they just don't know
10:52to win. And it is sad. It is something that you cannot explain. You cannot put it to words
10:58because that belief is not there in the camp. Last year, we used to say, oh, it's because of
11:02KL Rahul's slow knock and the middle order is not, you know, taking up responsibility. But this time,
11:08I think the middle order with Livingston, Bairstow, Jitesh Sharma also has been quite good
11:13in the games that he's played. But it just doesn't come off. And I don't know, I'm
11:21out of words.
11:24How to put it into words as to how to explain this? I mean, it's something that we've
11:31just gotten used to as a Punjab fan. I'll come to Sahil on one note. You know, Sahil,
11:39prior to the season starting, we had never, in fact, you were not there
11:45in most of this chat. So haven't had a chance to pick your brains on that.
11:50Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Supergiants, expectation vis-a-vis results.
11:56What are your thoughts, Sahil, since we haven't come to you in a while?
12:01For like Gujarat Titans and Lucknow, like how they've done, what you're asking, right?
12:04Yes. Yes.
12:05I am so very shocked. Like, I'm happy for these two new teams. At first, like, you know,
12:11Gujarat Titans have been riding their luck. They have always been having a hero. They have had a
12:15man of the match in every, like, they have had different man of the matches. Tevatiya,
12:19dial six for Tevatiya. Then they have Lockie who steps up for them. Rashid Khan is on fire
12:26with the bat more than the ball, I feel. Hardik Pandya leading from the front. And for Lucknow,
12:31they have also been good. You know, they have, you know, they have players in every order.
12:36Bishnoi has been well. Rahul has been decent. De Kock has been okay. Jason Older is a full
12:41package for them. So, can't really complain. These two teams have done well. And the two big
12:46guns like Chennai and Mumbai, wow. Mumbai Indians, though, I have no words. Excellent for them.
12:54That's why I'm not asking you about them. I mean, let us talk about the new...
13:12You know, if you can just quickly run through about our competition, which has really picked
13:20up steam, if you can talk about it, and then I'll go to tomorrow's games to pick the winners.
13:26Thank you, Gautam. You see, I had backed Punjab to chase to be very honest. And once again, they,
13:32you know, flattered to deceive. This game should have been chased. But that's what is the beauty
13:36about our contest. You got to go to your page, your favorite page, Gulp News, predict the winner,
13:42and you walk away with a beautiful kit, a t-shirt, track and a cap, and a one-year digital
13:46subscription from Gulp News. Tomorrow, there are two games. Mind you, pick the smart winner.
13:50Gujarat team is playing against RCB. And the second game, Gautam, can you shell which one is who?
13:55Rajasthan Royals versus Mumbai.
13:59So, we all know who are the favorites. One is Gujarat, and one is RR. If you feel they are
14:04the favorites, go for it. And win that kit.
14:07You're letting the answer out, Anizbhai, before the question.
14:11All my predictions are going wrong.
14:14They look obvious answers at this point. But yes, I'll come to Satish then. You know, Satish,
14:20I mean, this RCB team is not that bad either. I mean, like two batting failures don't make
14:26them an overnight. And they looked in a quite a relaxed state of mind when they were in their
14:31kurtas, enjoying Glenn Maxwell's reception. So, do you think, are you looking at a kind of
14:37recovery from RCB? And what do you also feel about the second game?
14:44I'll back RCB tomorrow in the first game. Because somehow I'm getting this feeling is,
14:52you know, like Kohli is waiting to fire. And I know Anizbhai will not agree to that.
14:59But Anizbhai is still, you know, like he's a real time bomb, basically. It's just waiting
15:05to explode. But we don't know when. But somehow I'm getting this feeling that he might explode
15:09tomorrow and give RCB. Because by coming in as an opener, you get that power play,
15:15that advantage. Sometimes even your topper just goes over the fielders. That advantage you get.
15:22But I think he will perform tomorrow. So I'll back RCB tomorrow in the first game. And then
15:27second game, though RR looks favorite, I won't discount MI. Because they were quite close last
15:36game when they lost to, I think, they lost to Punjab, if I remember right. Yeah. Yeah. They
15:40lost to Punjab very closely last game. And they lost very closely to Chennai. I think they are
15:46coming somewhere very close to getting that first win. They are too good to stay this way.
15:52Even this is something which nobody can even fathom that they will suffer
15:58eight losses on the trot. But I still feel that Mumbai again, like the off-color
16:05teams will come back is my gut feeling tomorrow. The team or the batsman.
16:11That will be interesting. Sahil, your take? I mean, do you finally see
16:15Mumbai logging those first two points? And what do you feel about the RCB-Gujarat clash?
16:22I don't think Mumbai will win. No way. They will lose again. And I'm going to go. I like RCB.
16:29I always had a slight attachment to RCB. So I'm just going to support RCB.
16:34And Virat will score how many? Zero, one, two, five, ten, Sahil.
16:39Mr. Satish said like, oh, Virat Kohli is waiting that one. I think everyone is saying this sentence
16:44since two, three weeks. Like same sentence. His innings will come. His innings will come. So
16:48yeah. Interestingly, Sahil, you know, those two golden ducks and I think one eight or nine.
16:57Apart from that, there are actually two forties. I was looking at the sequence of scores. So yes,
17:03I mean, the best decision that they've taken is to take him out of the order along with Faf.
17:09So let's see what happens. And on that note, I'll come to Clinton. Clinton, what do you think?
17:13Tomorrow, you can watch the matches in a more relaxed frame of mind.
17:18Yeah, the calculators are already out. So for Punjab to have some kind of cushion,
17:24Gujarat needs to beat RCB and Mumbai needs to beat RR. So being a Punjab fan,
17:30we are used to removing the calculators after eight games are done. Yeah, it's deja vu once again.
17:37Yeah, well, if you ask me, I think, you know, both Gujarat and Rajasthan, they have shown,
17:43you know, how to win from a difficult situation. I mean, Rajasthan have now won a game where
17:48more than a game where Butler didn't fire. And Gujarat, of course, you know, emerging as a team
17:55for all seasons, too good to be true, in fact. So these are the two, you know, I'd say they have
18:00the edge, but you never know the way this IPL is panning out. So on that note, I leave you and
18:07thanks once again to all our viewers for joining this. And tomorrow again, we'll be back with
18:13another edition of Straight Bad. Stay tuned. Thank you and good night.