Punjab Kings (PBKS) pacer Nathan Ellis, who's had to wait all season for a game in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, said his side produced one of their better performances were playing for pride against Rajasthan Royals (RR).
Despite qualifying for the playoffs, RR continued a downward spiral as a fine bowling performance by PBKS and a fighting half-century by skipper Sam Curran handed them a five-wicket loss at Guwahati on Wednesday in their IPL match.
The Royals slipped to their fourth consecutive defeat in the ongoing IPL.
"Coming to the ground we didn't really know what to do -- bat or bowl. But we decided on batting first. Losing the toss wasn't a desired outcome but I was actually really happy that we bowled first and it gave us the chance to set the tone for the day," Ellis said at the post-match press conference.
"I think the position that we are in we were playing for pride today. We tried to put in the best performance that we can," Ellis added.
"I think collectively as a group it was one of our better performances. We adapted to conditions, bowled in partnerships and sort of it was a complete performance. The wicket was a little bit slower than expected but I think it was a pretty good wicket all and all," he added.
PBKS stand-in captain Sam Curran and the rest of the PBKS bowlers combined to restrict RR to 144. Curran, who took 2 for 24, guided PBKS with an unbeaten 63, completing the chase. That came after PBKS had dropped to 48 for 4 in eight overs.
Ellis demonstrated what the PBKS had been missing, bowling four tight overs for 24 runs as Punjab's most economical bowler and taking the crucial wicket of Royals skipper Sanju Samson (18).
"Coincidence, there has been a trend for the last couple of years. I think for us it is about playing good cricket and we have played good cricket in patches but probably not full games," Ellis said.
Playing his first game in this edition of the IPL, Ellis bowled tidily to finish with miserly figures of 1/24 from his full quota of four overs. He also took the all-important wicket of Sanju Samson.
On how the surface played at the ACA Stadium in Guwahati, Ellis said: "The wicket was a little bit slower than expected, but it was still a pretty good wicket. In the powerplay, was where the game could have been won or lost and we both lost wickets there.
"I think batting-wise, the powerplay was the best time to score and we both probably didn't have the greatest power players. And then from there the ball got a little bit softer and both teams lost wickets."
With no chance of making it to the IPL 2024 playoffs, Punjab Kings will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Sunday.
