Making five changes in the playing eleven paid dividends for Kings XI Punjab in its DLF-IPL match against Mumbai Indians. Now, in the remaining matches, coach Tom Moody wants to field players who have not got enough chances and seek a better finish for the side.
In Friday's match against Mumbai, Love Ablish bowled a productive yet economical final over to restrict the visitor at the PCA Stadium here.
Opening the innings for Kings, Adrian Barath also contributed some valuable runs.
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Moody is clearly inspired by such efforts. “In the closing matches we will try to create a few opportunities for a few players, and give them some exposure and obviously learn from what they are capable of doing out in the middle,” Moody said on Friday after Kings' third win in 11 matches.
The Aussie lauded leg-spinner Piyush Chawla for his three-wicket haul. “He bowled exceptionally well and I think he showed exactly why he is in the Indian T20 World Cup squad. He is a talented cricketer, there is no question about that. And he did certainly do a terrific job in the early overs for us”, Moody said.
The Kings coach was satisfied with the overall performance of his side. “It was pleasing to play as well as we did in all three departments. I thought we fielded well today, bowled well, restricted a strong batting line-up and finished the job well with the bat,” he said.
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Mumbai Indians team admitted that its batting was not up to the mark. “We lost quick wickets and fell short by about 20 runs. Otherwise, we could have defended it”, said T. A. Sekar, Mumbai Indians director of coaching.
Sekar said playing its early matches at home helped Mumbai. “Playing at home is always an advantage. But the Mohali track was equally good but we just did not have enough runs to defend,” he said.