IPL 2017: We couldn't have won even if we had scored 200 runs, says Ishant Sharma

What’s the story?

In Thursday’s match between Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders, the former set a target of 171 runs at the Eden Gardens but ended up on the losing side. KXIP pacer, Ishant Sharma admitted after the match that to defend a huge score will be difficult if the team leaks runs in the powerplay overs.

Extra Cover: IPL 2017, KKR vs KXIP: SK Turning Point - Sunil Narine impresses with the bat

“When we were batting, the ball was sticking if you hit the length, but now as the dew comes, the ball was coming nicely to the bat. The spinners were finding it difficult to grip the ball in the dew. In six overs, if you give 80 runs, I don’t think you can win even if you score 200,” said the lanky bowler.

In case you didn’t know...

The biggest surprise of the match was that Sunil Narine came out to open the batting for his team along with Gautam Gambir. This move of playing the spinner at the top paid off very well for the team as the two batsmen had a massive partnership of 76 runs in just 34 balls.

The heart of the matter

In the 11^th match of the IPL, the visitors, Kings XI Punjab, lost their first match of their 2017 campaign. The team put up a good total of 170 on the board but because of the dew factor, the team did not do a good job when they came out to bowl. The bowlers, especially the spinners, couldn't control the ball and handed an easy win to the hosts.

In the matches that have been played so far, a majority of the teams batting second have won. The dew stands as one of the major reasons why captains opt to bowl first in this format of the game. Ishant Sharma played his first match of the season for the Punjab franchise and in the two overs that he bowled, he was unable to pick up wickets and conceded 16 runs.

What’s next?

The Glenn Maxwell led Kings XI Punjab will play the Delhi Daredevils on 15^th of April at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi in their next IPL match.

Extra Cover: IPL 2017: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Kings XI Punjab, SK Player of the Day - Gautam Gambhir for his captain’s knock

Author’s Take

When quality batsmen have the single-minded goal to take on the batsmen, there’s not much that bowlers – even the best in the world – can do, and that was the case on Thursday night. Ishant Sharma blaming the bowling for losing the match is unjustified, considering the superb form that Gambhir showed and the dew factor not helping the bowlers.