Toss became a factor, says Pune’s Tiwary after loss

INDORE After a brilliant start to the Indian Premier League, Rising Pune Supergiant slumped to a six-wicket loss to Kings XI Punjab here on Saturday.

After being sent in, the Steve Smith-led Pune could manage only 163/6 as the home team chased down the target in 19 overs.

Pune’s Manoj Tiwary, who scored a crucial 23-ball 40*, said the toss became a crucial factor in deciding the fate of the match.

“The toss was a factor. Obviously, there is the implementation part but it was nonetheless an important factor. We would have liked to bat second. There was moisture in the first part of the game, but later it was easy to bat on,” he said.

“Had we batted second, we would have scored at a faster pace. Also, we lost the wicket of Mayank Agarwal in the first over and it added to the pressure.” Kings XI opener Manan Vohra agreed the toss was a factor.

“The Holkar Stadium is a small ground and toss plays a crucial part. But then a team has to bat well. Pune’s score was less than par on this wicket. In the practice matches, we have scored above 200 regularly,” he said. “Full credit to the Punjab bowlers who restricted Pune to below 165. During our innings, we lost a couple of quick wickets in the middle, but (Glenn) Maxwell and (David) Miller’s experience came into play, said Vohra.” Youngsters like Sandeep Sharma, T Natarajan, Axar Patel also played a big role in the win and Vohra felt the backing of the team management was crucial.