Punjab head coach Bayliss outlines plans for new season

NEW DELHI: New Punjab Kings head coach Trevor Bayliss has listed out death overs batting and wickets in the middle overs as the two key areas of improvement for the team aiming to end its title drought in the IPL.

Punjab finished an underwhelming sixth in the previous four editions with its only final appearance coming way back in 2014. Bayliss, a World Cup winning coach who also guided KKR to two IPL trophies, is expected to turn an inconsistent Punjab into a consistent outfit.

The squad looks strong on paper and boasts the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Kagiso Rabada, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone and Arshdeep Singh. Punjab had bought Curran for a record Rs 18.50 crore at the auction earlier this year. The 60-year-old from Australia talked about the preparations for the IPL and his expectations from the players. “One of things that we thought was lacking last year was not able to finish off innings with the bat. That was one of the reasons why we decided to go after a young all-rounder like Sam. He gives us a strength in the middle-order and he is a world class bowler as well. “From the batting point of view, we want some of the guys in the top-order to go on and make those 70s and 80s, that makes it easier for the middle order,” he said from Mohali where the team hosts KKR in its IPL opener.

Bayliss is working to create a pressure-free environment within the team as that is imperative for success. “I want them to play the game for the reasons they started playing the game at the first place, which is the love for the game. I don’t know what it was like in the past but I will run this team like I have always done. “It doesn’t guarantee success but we will enjoy ourselves and play with a smile on our face but when we need to we will do the hard yards in the practice field.” Having achieved success in international as well as franchise cricket, Bayliss believes the main players have to perform for any team to be consistent. “I am not exactly sure if I can pin point one thing,” he said when asked about the secret to success in an unforgiving format like the T20.

“From bowling point of view if you are taking wickets through the middle overs you are very tough to beat. Taking wickets in middle overs is very important. “In this day and age, teams bat deep across the board. What you need is your main players scoring runs and taking wickets. “How do you achieve that? To be in a good frame of mind, playing under less pressure and not be under pressure to perform. From my point of view it is about creating an environment that takes the pressure off all the players,” he said.