KL Rahul, the Kings XI Punjab skipper, struggled in the IPL 2020 clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. KL Rahul managed just 11 off 16 balls and it continued his pattern in IPL 2020 where he has not scored at a high strike-rate for five out of the six games. In the clash against Rajasthan Royals, KL Rahul smashed 69 off 54 balls on a flat deck in Sharjah while against Chennai Super Kings, he hit 63 but it came off 52 balls. In the past, KL Rahul has been brilliant in the powerplay, striking at nearly 150 but in IPL 2020, his strike-rate has been just over 110 in the first six overs.
However, in the post-match press conference, KL Rahul said strike-rates are very over-rated and his prime focus was just to win games. “Strike-rates are very, very overrated. For me, it's only about how I can win games for my team. And if on a certain day I think a strike-rate of 120 can win the game for my team, I will do that. This is how I bat and I would like to take responsibility as a leader. We all make mistakes, I'm not saying I have not made a few mistakes but you learn each day as a leader, as a batter,” Rahul said.
The knock of 11 off 16, combined with Mayank Agarwal’s run-out for 9 dented Kings XI Punjab massively in the chase of 202. Although Nicholas Pooran smashed 77, including 28 runs in one over bowled by Abdul Samad, the game had gotten away from Kings XI Punjab.
‘Disastrous’ run-out, Fantastic Pooran
KL Rahul paid tribute to Nicholas Pooran’s knock and said he had long conversations with the West Indies dasher about his role in the side.
“Pooran is so good to watch, he's hitting proper cricketing shots. If we get a decent job at the start, he can do the job for us later. The way he has been batting, even in the last season we had glimpses of how good a player he is. We have been having a lot of chats. He is someone who is very keen on being a match-winner for us. Until the time he was there, he gave us a lot of hope and made the opposition uncomfortable. If three or four of us with our skills can come together (we can win), we have been fielding well, we have shown a lot of heart,” KL Rahul said.
