Kings XI Punjab skipper George Bailey rued making changes to the batting order, saying it played a part in their defeat to Rajasthan Royals in Friday night’s IPL match in Pune.
Punjab sent Wriddhiman Saha in at number three and Axar Patel came to bat at five, ahead of David Miller.
"We could have taken a few opportunities, but I was happy at the half-way mark. A couple of run-outs hurt. We changed the batting order a bit and, in hindsight, that was not a good idea," Bailey said after their 26-run defeat.
The Australian, though, was happy with the showing of his bowlers.
"Pretty happy with the way we went with the ball," he said.
He appreciated the batting efforts of a few Rajasthan players.
"Steven Smith batted beautifully and James Faulkner batted well as well."
Rajasthan Royals captain Steven Smith praised debutant Deepak Hooda (30) and James Faulkner (46) for their rescue effort. They raised a match-saving 51-stand for the sixth wicket.
"Hooda, in his first game, played brilliantly. Faulker also played well. It was nice to get over the top of them," he said.
Talking about regular skipper Shane Watosn, who missed out on Friday’s match due to injury, Smith said," Am sure he will be fine. We will get our combination right and it is nice to get a win under our belt early on."
Man of the Match James Faulkner, Australia's hero in the final of the World Cup against New Zealand, said, "I just back my T20 cricket, to be honest. It was nice to see Hooda show a lot of confidence in his first game."
