Sam Curran is a winner, you've to back him: Punjab Kings bowling coach Charl Langeveldt

| PTI | May 9, 2023, 13:34 IST

Sam Curran might have been bogged down by the pressure of his pri... Read More

KOLKATA: Sam Curran might have been bogged down by the pressure of his price tag in this IPL, but Punjab Kings bowling coach Charl Langeveldt backed the Englishman, terming him a "winner".

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Andre Russell roared back to form by smashing Curran for three sixes off four balls to turn the match in favour of KKR who sealed a thrilling five-wicket win to keep their playoff hopes alive in the IPL here on Monday.

"He's a winner. You want to back him. He's our senior bowler as well, you can have days like this," the South African said at the post-match media interaction.

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KKR vs PBKS IPL 2023 Highlights: Kolkata clinch last-ball thriller to stay alive

Curran, who became the most expensive player of the IPL after PBKS roped him for Rs 18.5 crore, leaked 20 runs in the penultimate over to finish with figures of 3-0-44-0.

Curran has just seven wickets from 11 matches and his economy is 10-plus.

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"He's one of those players who can come back and win us a game. It's just about going back to the drawing board, keep it as simple as possible."

Hailing Russell's knock, Langeveldt said: "He's always a massive player, a game changer. We wanted to keep him quiet and tried to bowl outside his hitting zone."

IPL 2023: KKR beat Punjab Kings to keep playoffs hopes alive

Andre Russell's blazing 42 and a finishing act by Rinku Singh kept Kolkata Knight Riders in the hunt for the playoffs with a tense final-ball win over Punjab Kings on Monday.

Spinner Varun Chakravarthy set up victory with bowling figures of 3/26 including the key wicket of Liam Livingstone (15), as Punjab finished on 179/7.

Skipper Shikhar Dhawan's 57 and late cameos boosted Punjab's total with 36 runs from the last two overs, but the effort was not enough.

Fast bowler Harshit Rana provided the early breakthroughs including Bhanuka Rajapaksa for a duck.

Chakravarthy and Suyash Sharma, who got Sam Curran caught behind four, combined to choke the flow of runs with their leg spin.

Dhawan kept up the charge despite getting little support from the other end as he reached his third fifty of the season before departing in the 15th over.

Skipper Nitish Rana set up the chase with his 51 after Jason Roy gave the home team a solid start with his 38 off 24 balls but a few wickets set KKR back.

KKR looked in trouble at 124/4 while chasing 180 for victory when Russell and Rinku (21*), put on a partnership of 54 to win by five wickets.

The Russell-Rinku combination tore into the opposition attack as KKR hammered 53 runs in the final four overs to pocket their fifth win in 11 matches.

Kagiso Rabada has played just five matches this season for PBKS as they preferred Nathan Ellis over the South African, and Langeveldt said it's a no-brainer.

"Ellis has been bowling well. He's been our go-to guy, bowls well inside the powerplay and handles pressure.

"It was a simple decision. I didn't even think about that and said 'okay, we need to go with Ellis', and he produced again tonight," he said.

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