Mullanpur (Punjab), April 8 After a thrilling win over Gujarat Titans, Punjab Kings are all set to face off against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League at the new PCA Stadium here on Tuesday. This will be Punjab's second outing at the new ground, and Assistant Coach Brad Haddin expressed delight in having the chance to compete under the lights.
"This is an exciting one for us. We have played one game here before, but it was a day game. It is a chance for us to now play here under lights for the first time. The players are excited. The crowd last time was outstanding, and we could feel the energy even more under the lights. So it will be pretty special," Haddin said at the pre-match press conference on Monday.
Punjab played their first game of the season against the Delhi Capitals on March 23, and skipper Shikhar Dhawan opted to bowl after winning the toss. On being asked about the decision, Haddin explained the choice was made to test out the new surface.
"It was our first time playing a match in the venue. We understood 99 per cent of what was going to happen as we held our pre-season camp here where we had all the facilities the whole time. But we wanted to see how the surface reacts if we bowl first. It was a great pitch that held up through to the end. So, we have an even better understanding now and we have trained a lot under lights," he said.
Punjab will have their next four games at the same venue, having the distinct advantage of playing at the home ground, and Haddin admitted it might help them climb higher in the points table. "I think we are extremely lucky. The hustle and bustle of IPL boils down to play, travel, play, travel. We have the chance to now play four games on a surface which we understand better than most. I hope it might give us an advantage on the points table as well," he said.
Sunrisers Hyderabad have a solid batting line-up and have maintained a good average in the powerplay overs with heavy hitters at the top order. But Haddin insisted that his side is ready to put up a challenge with their strong bowling unit. "The SRH top-order has showcased a power-packed game in the season so far. They score a lot of runs in the powerplay and have been outstanding. It has been good to watch from afar. But we think we match up pretty good with our bowling unit. It's a big stadium here and we feel pretty comfortable with our bowling squad," the former Aussie international said.
On being asked if the Kings might push in left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar to start off the bowling attack, Haddin kept the cards close to his chest. "The beauty of our bowlers is that they do a lot of training with the new ball because they can do well in the powerplay. So, if we throw the new ball to them, it is not a shock. Sunil Joshi is doing a lot with these guys on those aspects. We do not want them to be one-dimensional and we want them to be able to bowl in different parts of the game. And the best bowlers in this competition do that. So, we are covered if we need to use spinners in the powerplay overs," he signed off.
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