Punjab Kings captain Shikhar Dhawan on Monday said his team fell short by 10-15 runs but what turned things against them was the catch they dropped off Virat Kohli which turned the momentum against them as they eventually lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru by four wickets in Match 6 of Indian Premier League here.
Dhawan struck a crucial 45 while Jitesh Sharma (27) and Shashank Singh (21 not out) made vital contributions to propel Punjab Kings to 176/6 in 20 overs. However, RCB rode on a 49-ball 77 by former captain Virat Kohli and a blazing 10-ball 28 by Dinesh Karthik to chase down the target, reaching 178/6 in 19.2 overs and winning the match by four wickets at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here.
Dhawan, the Punjab Kings captain, was happy with the way his players fought back but said they paid the price for dropping Kohli.
"Good game, we brought it back. Think we were 10-15 less. Should have encashed in the first six overs. We had to pay the price for dropping Kohli. We lost momentum there, it was crucial. It looked a good wicket but wasn't true. It was stopping, a bit of double-bounce and turned. 70% it was coming good," said Dhawan during the post-match presentation on Monday.
Dhawan was happy with the way he batted but thought he could have played a bit faster in the batting Power-play. "I was happy with my runs but think could've played faster in the first six. We lost two wickets which put pressure too. That total we thought was par," said Dhawan.
The Punjab Kings skipper felt they could have bowled a bit better. "Match went till last over, at the end we could have bowled better. Harpreet is bowling really well, that too to left-handers on a small ground. He soaked in pressure and got breakthroughs. His celebration, the Kabaddi thing, is big in Punjab. People connect with the thigh-five, happy to see him doing it," said Dhawan.
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