Punjab Kings (PBKS) bowling coach Charl Langeveldt backed under-fire all-rounder Sam Curran after the latter had another poor game against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The former South African pacer asserted that Curran is someone who has the ability to come back strongly and win games for the franchise.
Curran registered figures of 0/44 from three overs in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match against KKR at Eden Gardens on Monday, May 8. Chasing 180, Kolkata needed 26 to win off the last two overs. However, Andre Russell clubbed Curran for three sixes in the 19th over to more or less seal the deal for KKR.
Defending Curran, who was purchased for a record ₹18.5 crore at the IPL auction, Langeveldt said during the post-match press conference:
”He’s a winner. You want to back him. He’s our senior bowler as well, you can have days like this. He’s one of those players who can come back and win us a game. It’s just about going back to the drawing board, keep it as simple as possible.”
In 11 matches of the ongoing IPL edition, Curran has managed only seven wickets at an average of 55.57 and a strike rate of 10.28.
Langeveldt went on to praise Russell for his brilliant knock of 42 in 23 balls and added:
“He’s always a massive player, a game-changer. We wanted to keep him quiet and tried to bowl outside his hitting zone.”
Russell smashed three fours and three sixes, adding 54 for the fifth wicket with Rinku Singh (21* off 10).
“It was a brilliant over from him” – Langeveldt on Arshdeep’s last over
After Curran conceded 20 runs in the penultimate over, Arshdeep Singh was left with only six runs to defend in the last over. He took the game to the last ball but then delivered a full toss, which Rinku clubbed for four.
Praising Arshdeep for his efforts, the PBKS bowling coach said:
“He has struggled in the last two games. For him to come back and bowl that over for us, his execution under pressure, it was a brilliant over from him. He kept it simple. He bowled to his strengths, kept it out of the hitting zone and he created some pressure by landing his yorkers.”
Punjab Kings’ next match in IPL 2023 will be against Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Saturday, May 13.