Ahead of their upcoming match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Punjab Kings Assistant Coach Brad Haddin addressed the media during a pre-match press conference. In his conversation, he emphasized the team’s focus on drawing motivation from recent victories, ensuring continuous improvement, and building momentum as the tournament intensifies.

Punjab Kings recently became the team to successfully defend the lowest total in the history of IPL, as they beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 16 runs in their last match.

Sharing how such thrilling encounters and victories help the team in gaining confidence, Haddin stated, “I think it reinsures everything that we’re doing; the playing group starts to trust. And wins like that, as you’ve seen the other night, the way we got ourselves back into the game was special. The players have started to believe that they can win from any situation.”

However, despite the fact that the team’s batting lineup could only put 111 runs on the board in the last game, the Assistant Coach spoke about the strengths of the unit and how they are prepared to avoid such circumstances in the future.

“The one thing we have is a really dynamic batting line-up, and we want our players to have clear minds. They all know their individual roles; they know if they get things right, they can take the game away from the opposition. So it’s really important from our point of view as coaches to allow them.”

“They train well, they do everything they need to do, they are prepared well. But when they go out there, it’s about clearing your head and executing. You have to be brave to go deep in this tournament, and that’s the mindset we want the players to have,” he added.

Given that the Kings’ next match is at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, Haddin also underscored the team’s strategy of adapting to different wicket conditions.

“The one thing you want to do when the conditions are different is trust your game, and everyone will have different ways to get through that. Some will take the game on, hit in the air, try to hit the ball off their length, others will run hard. And the one thing we’ve said to our players is we make sure that they understand what their role in their game is,” the former Aussie cricketer explained.

He further added, “We have a clear game plan in the way we want to play and the style that we want to play, but it’s important that the player knows in themselves what their strengths are, so they can take the game on.”

Punjab Kings will face Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on April 18 at 7:30 PM.

Chandigarh. The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), defending champions of the TATA IPL, suffered a narrow 16-run loss in a low-scoring thriller against Punjab Kings, here at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium on April 15. Harshit Rana’s three-fer, alongside braces from Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy went in vain as hosts defending the target in an engaging contest.

Reflecting on the match, KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane said, “The wicket was a good one, even though the ball was stopping a bit. Our bowlers bundled them out for 111 and did half the job. Chasing 112 on this wicket was comparatively easy, especially after the start we got. It wasn’t like Punjab Kings bowled exceptionally, we just didn’t bat as well.”

The captain also highlighted the learnings, from the game, backing his team to respond going into their next match. “We’re halfway through the tournament and there are seven matches to go in the league stage. It’s always about coming back with good intent, while still looking to learn and improve as a batter and take it on in the next game.”

Halfway through their league stage matches, Kolkata Knight Riders have bagged three wins in the tournament so far. However, Rahane insisted that the batting unit have to learn to grind out results in certain situations.

“It’s not about hitting sixes every time and getting that net run rate up. It wasn’t a belter or a flat wicket, there was something for the bowlers. So, we had to grind it out. Even though sometimes you have to play a maiden over in T20 cricket or play at a strike rate of 70-80, it’s okay. But you have to grind it out.”

“T20 cricket is not only about hitting sixes, even though we’re seeing most players trying to look for the big shots. It’s not about that, it’s about reading the situation and having the game awareness as a batter and then take the game forward. That’s what we lacked today”, he added.

With seven matches remaining in the league stage for KKR, the captain is confident that there is no room for complacency in this experienced setup. “All the players are confident and experienced enough to handle any situation. I wouldn’t say we were complacent or are taking things for granted. I don’t think we’re doing that. We didn’t bat well and didn’t have the awareness to play according to what the situation demanded, but we learn from it”, he concluded.

Delhi / Rohan Sharma. The Ahmedabad SG Pipers franchise is thrilled to announce the successful acquisition of India’s table tennis icon, Manika Batra, as part of the team at the recently concluded Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 6 player auction. Manika, a recipient of India’s highest sporting honour, the Khel Ratna and a household name in Indian sports, will spearhead the Ahmedabad SG Pipers’ campaign in the upcoming edition of the league.

Alongside Batra, highly experienced Germany international Ricardo Walther and rising Indian paddler Snehit Suravajjula will spearhead the challenge in the Men’s singles. Italian Olympian Giorgia Piccolini will be the overseas female player for the Pipers. The Pipers also acquired two upcoming talents from the Indian Table Tennis circuit in Divyansh Srivastava and Yashini Sivashankar to complete their squad for season 6 of UTT.

Manika Batra expressed enthusiasm about joining the Ahmedabad SG Pipers and said, “I am excited to be part of the Ahmedabad SG Pipers family. I appreciate the faith the franchise has shown in me, and I am eager to contribute to the team’s success in the upcoming edition of Ultimate Table Tennis. I eagerly look forward to playing alongside my talented teammates and delivering memorable performances for our fans.”

Manika Batra’s decorated career includes historic performances at the Commonwealth Games and strong showings in other international tournaments. Her experience and leadership will be invaluable to the Ahmedabad SG Pipers as they navigate the challenges of the UTT season.

The Ultimate Table Tennis Season 6 is scheduled to be held from May 29 to June 15 at the EKA Arena in Ahmedabad, marking the first time the city will host the prestigious league. The Ahmedabad SG Pipers are eager to showcase their talent in front of their home crowd under the tutelage of highly experienced Indian coach Somnath Ghosh and German coach Chris Pfeiffer, who will be looking to inculcate a formidable team spirit that can guide the team to glory this year.