Harshal Patel is optimistic about Punjab Kings’ prospects of making the playoffs, saying, “Never seen a team out of race before 13–14 games.”

On Sunday, May 5, in the Indian Premier League match at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala, the Punjab Kings lost to the five-time champion Chennai Super Kings by a margin of 28 runs. Rahul Chahar and Harshal Patel’s outstanding spells helped Punjab limit the opposition to 167/9 when they decided to bowl.

Harshal gave up just 24 runs and took three wickets in his four overs, keeping an economy rate of six, while the leg spinner posted statistics of 23/3 in his four overs at an economy rate of 5.8. However, Punjab failed to reach the goal and could not secure their third consecutive victory despite the outstanding bowling display. In spite of the outcome, Harshal insisted that the team still had a chance to get to the postseason.

“We simply must play excellent cricket. In terms of the playoff race, I have never watched a side drop out of the race or qualify before the 13–14 games are completed in my 13 years of playing the Indian Premier League. At the post-match news conference, the right-arm fast bowler stated, “We are still in the race and as a team, we know that when we play high-quality cricket and everyone knows their job well, we can beat any team on any ground.”

After the game, the interim captain, Sam Curran, acknowledged the bowling unit and mentioned the challenging batting surface.

“I thought our bowling was excellent. I was quite happy at the halfway point, but sadly, it was not meant to be. Rahul, Chahar and Harshal were fantastic. During the game, the wicket was essentially the same throughout, but it was definitely slower than we had anticipated. Curran made this comment during the post-match presentation ceremony.

Punjab lost two wickets in the first two overs, including Jonny Bairstow and Rilee Rossouw, who were both in form at the time. But with a strong 53-run combination, Shashank Singh and Prabhsimran Singh preserved their side’s chances.

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We were still in the game when Prabhsimran Singh and Shashank Singh were batting, in my opinion, because of that opening spell. With Prabhsimran and Shashank in the middle during the powerplay, we were able to rally despite losing two early wickets. We were pretty much settled then, I believe. The game’s outcome would have been different if we had chosen better which bowlers to target,” the 33-year-old stated.

Prior to the pivotal next match, Harshal Patel discussed the lessons Punjab has learned. Punjab will play the Royal Challengers Bangalore at the same location under the lights.

“Given the size of the boundary, we probably anticipated that this would be a high-scoring location going into the game. This is typically a fast and bouncy pitch. However, things were different, particularly today. We will be playing a night game next. Thus, things could be a little different, and there might be thirty to forty additional runs on the surface. There is plenty of reward for bowlers and shot-making is challenging at that length if we bowl hard, near the stumps, and keep stumps in play at all times, he stated.

On Sunday, during the match in Dharamsala, INR 40 lakhs were raised for the admirable cause of educating girls. For every 25 runs scored and three wickets claimed by Punjab Kings in their home matches, the M3M Foundation—in collaboration with the Shikhar Dhawan Foundation—will provide Rs 5 lakhs to encourage females pursuing vocational education. The programme seeks to provide up to Rs. 5 lakh in support of vocational education to 111 females, with a total budget of Rs. 5.55 crore over the next five years from the organisation.

The next matchup between the Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore is set for May 9.