LSG’s Marcus Stoinis has revealed that he defied team plans and came in ahead of Krunal Pandya during the match against PBKS on Friday in Mohali.
Stoinis put in a Player Of The Match performance against PBKS as he hit 72 runs off 40 deliveries, with his knock consisting of six boundaries and five sixes. On the back of the Aussie all-rounder’s knock, Kyle Mayers’ fifty and cameos from Ayush Badoni and Nicholas Pooran, LSG posted a massive 257 runs in their 20 overs, which was the second-highest team total in the history of IPL.
Stoinis also picked up the big wicket of Shikhar Dhawan early on to ensure that PBKS didn’t get off to the best start in their run chase. LSG ended up winning the match by 56 runs.
However, the all-rounder has now revealed that Pandya was supposed to come in at No.4 ahead of him. Speaking to Morne Morkel on IPL’s official website, Stoinis was asked if he, just ran on to bat after seeing the wicket in Mohali. The all-rounder admitted that he defied the team plans of keeping the left-right combination going and decided to take the opportunity.
“You have got to be ready at all times, KP. If I get an opportunity, I will take it. I will bat anywhere. I will put my helmet on and when Zava is around. Be careful,” said Stoinis.
Stoinis also praised the team for bouncing back from their loss to GT last weekend and putting on a top performance against PBKS on Friday.
“The most impressive part for us is, like you said, after the break, for the boys to come back and put together a good performance. Some of the boys have been injured and sitting out. For them to come back on a good wicket and make a good impact has been good,” said Stoinis.
