Kings XI Punjab deserved to win: Captain George Bailey

Mumbai, April 13 (IANS)

Kings XI Punjab skipper George Bailey said his team deserved to win against hosts Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) after making good use of the new ball.

The Australian also praised Mumbai Indians' Harbhajan Singh, who scored a 24-ball 64, which went in vain as the hosts fell short by 18 runs at the Wankhede Stadium here on Sunday.

“It was beautiful striking by Harbhajan. I felt we deserved to win. We bowled so well at the start. It would have been nice to win by 50 runs. We deserved that. Our bowlers will learn from what happened at the end. Already they are talking about in the dressing room the things they can do differently,” Bailey said.

It was double delight for the winning skipper as he also bagged the player of the match award for a crucial 32-ball 64.

Asked if he would think of batting up the order or stick to the No. 5 spot, Bailey said, “Well, I am not going to get ahead of Glenn Maxwell and David Miller. Fifth place is good for me. We batted in a structured way. We didn't do that against Rajasthan Royals in the first match. We have learned our lessons.”

Big-hitter Maxwell didn't have a good outing as he managed only six from four balls.

Asked if Maxwell could be a bit more responsible, Bailey said, “We can't have it both ways. As spectators, when he is hitting six, we are all saying how good is Glenn Maxwell.

“If we are giving him freedom, we have to accept both ways. The challenge for him is to pick the balls. He deserves the freedom as he is one of the best strikers of the cricket ball.”