New Punjab Kings head coach Trevor Bayliss has listed out death overs batting and wickets in the middle overs as the two key areas of improvement for the team aiming to end its title drought in the IPL.
Punjab finished an underwhelming sixth in the previous four editions with their only final appearance coming way back in 2014. Bayliss, a World Cup winning coach who also guided KKR to two IPL trophies, is expected to turn an inconsistent Punjab into a consistent outfit.
The squad looks strong on paper and boasts the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Kagiso Rabada, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone and Arshdeep Singh. Punjab had bought Curran for a record Rs 18.50 crore at the auction earlier this year. The 60-year-old from Australia talked about the preparations for the IPL and his expectations from the players.
“One of things that we thought was lacking last year was not able to finish off innings with the bat. That was one of the reasons why we decided to go after a young all-rounder like Sam. He gives us a strength in the middle-order and he is a world class bowler as well. From the batting point of view, we want some of the guys in the top-order to go on and make those 70s and 80s, that makes it easier for the middle order,” he said from Mohali where the team hosts KKR in its IPL opener.
Bayliss is working to create a pressure-free environment within the team as that is imperative for success. Uncapped Australian Matthew Short has replaced the injured Bairstow in the Punjab squad and he is one of the opening options for the team alongside Dhawan. Having become the costliest buy in IPL history, it would be natural for Curran to feel the pressure of his whopping price tag.
However, Bayliss is confident about Curran delivering for Punjab. New T20 leagues popping up with each passing season has made the cricketing calendar more hectic than ever. Players are being forced to choose formats, notably Ben Stokes, and to Bayliss, it doesn’t come as a surprise.