'We Were Playing for Pride': Punjab Kings' Nathan Ellis Pleased With 'Complete Performance' Against Rajasthan Royals

The Punjab Kings managed to dent RR’s hopes of finishing with a top-two spot in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League 2024 (IPL 2024) with a win by five wickets at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati on Wednesday

The Australian pacer, Nathan Ellis made his way back into the side replacing the injured Kagiso Rabada who has returned to South Africa to tend to his injuries and prepare for the T20 World Cup.

Ellis reckons that the track in Guwahati was a bit on the slower side but had something for the batters and revealed his happiness coming out of the game as the victors after what has been a challengers tournament for the Punjab-based unit.

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“The wicket was a little bit slower than expected, but I still think it was a pretty good wicket. Really happy for the guys to get some reward as it has been a bit of a challenging tournament for us,” Ellis said at the post-match press conference here on Wednesday.

Speaking on the team’s intentions ahead of the game, it was just to play for pride which then led to ‘a complete performance’ from the side led by Sam Curran. Ellis was the most economical bowler for the side with figures of 1/24 in his four overs. He also picked up the big wicket of the RR skipper Sanju Samson who has been in fine form with the bat through the season.

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“We were playing for pride today and trying to put in the best performance we can. Collectively, it was one of our better performances, adapted to conditions, and bowled in partnerships. It was probably a complete performance,” Ellis said of the win.

He reckons that losing the toss might not have been ideal but being asked to bowl first allowed the bowlers to help dictate the tone of how the game would go, something that the Royals struggled to keep up with.

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“Coming to the ground, we didn’t know what we wanted to do — bat or bowl. Later, I think we also decided on batting first. Losing the toss wasn’t the desired outcome. But I was happy. We bowled first, which gave us the chance to set the tone for the day,” Ellis said.

“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,” he concluded.

(with PTI Inputs)