"Couldn't execute what he needed to" - Simon Doull on Sam Curran's costly 19th over in KKR vs PBKS tie

Simon Doull believes that Punjab Kings (PBKS) seamer Sam Curran failed to deliver under pressure during the team's IPL 2023 encounter against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens on Monday, May 8.

With Kolkata requiring 26 off 12 balls, Curran was entrusted to bowl the crucial penultimate over. Doull pointed out that the bowler would have felt the heat, considering that he was up against someone like Andre Russell.

The cricketer-turned-commentator highlighted that Curran bowled two length deliveries that disappeared for sixes. He also suggested that the PBKS all-rounder's ploy of dishing out a slower delivery backfired.

Speaking to Cricbuzz after KKR's thrilling five-wicket victory over PBKS, Doull said:

"He [Sam Curran] was the Player of the World Cup. He gets those yorkers right. He is under enormous pressure, I get that. And bowling to a big powerful player, you are under more pressure. But they were length balls. He bowled two length balls leg side, got picked off both times into the grandstand for half a dozen.

"He then went for the off-pace, bu the off-pace was too slow and too wide of off to the short side. He just got it wrong and couldn't execute what he needed to execute."

Notably, Curran conceded 20 runs in the penultimate over, leaving just six runs to defend for Arshdeep Singh. KKR eventually succeeded in chasing down the tricky 180-run target on the final ball.

---

"He hasn't been able to do it this year" - Simon Doull on Sam Curran's contribution for PBKS in IPL 2023

Simon Doull further stated that the Punjab-based franchise shelled out a big sum of money to rope in Sam Curran at the IPL 2023 mini-auction. He claimed that the team went all out for the player because of his ability to bowl yorkers in the death overs.

The former New Zealand cricketer reckons that a team wouldn't sign Curran as a genuine all-rounder. He emphasized that the 24-year-old's primary job for PBKS was to excel with the ball, which he has failed to do so far.

Doull added:

"He [Curran] is now going at over 10 an over for the season. Predominately, they bought him as a bowler who can bat. You are not buying Sam Curran as the genuine all-rounder.

"Okay, he will give us an innings or two, but we are buying you as a bowler, at the death in particular, because you have been so good, and you will get us a few runs with the bat. But he hasn't been able to do it this year just yet."

Curran became the most expensive buy at the auction in the league's history after he was roped in by PBKS for a whopping ₹18.5 crore. However, he hasn't been able to justify the hefty price tag.

The pacer has bagged just seven wickets from 11 games and has an economy rate of 10.28. Furthermore, he has scored 195 runs in 10 innings with the bat.