IPL 2024: Second-placed KKR look to dethrone RR from pole position
But it’s easier said than done as the Rajasthan Royals have been ruthless throughout the tournament, barring a minor blip against Gujarat Titans.
Kings XI Punjab captain Glenn Maxwell on Tuesday hoped his team could put forward a similar performance in the next two games and qualify for the Indian Super League (IPL) playoffs.
Punjab, who beat already-qualified Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 14 runs here, now have 12 points from the same number of matches and play Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiant away.
"I asked for an improved performance in the field and I got it.
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Axar led by example by taking those catches and with that run-out. Hopefully we can do this in the last two games and give the people of Punjab something to cheer about," Maxwell told after the match at the presentation ceremony.
"Spinners came into the game. Rahul Tewatia bowled well; he got the ball to spin (about when they came back in the game). We were able to stop the bleeding of runs, with the dot balls and conceding not too many boundaries.
"I thought the score was about par…we left ourselves little bit short. Maybe 10-15 short. We need to have the top few batters to fire and the rest to bat around," the big hitting Australian gushed.
Despite Chris Lynn's 52-ball 84, the bowlers did a superb job to restrict KKR to 153/6 in 20 overs chasing a modest 168.
"We backed our plans, which we have been asking of ourselves. They (the pacers at the end) were the calmest of the night. They knew what they wanted to do. The bowlers did their job, the fielders did their job. We are hanging by the skin of our teeth. It would be nice to win a toss now and then," Maxwell said.
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