Vaibhav Arora Credits Coaches for Death Over Success in IPL

Vaibhav Arora's Rise as a Death Over Specialist

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India] - April 27: Vaibhav Arora, the fast bowler for Kolkata Knight Riders, has acknowledged the significant influence of team mentor DJ Bravo and bowling coach Bharat Arun in enhancing his performance during the death overs in the ongoing 18th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Arora has gradually become a reliable option for captain Ajinkya Rahane, showcasing impressive skills in the crucial final overs. His recent outings have highlighted his evolution into a specialist bowler, as he claimed a wicket in each of the last two matches while effectively controlling the opposition's scoring.

In the match against Punjab Kings, Vaibhav was entrusted with the critical task of bowling the second-to-last over, a challenge he met with enthusiasm. He allowed only nine runs and skillfully used a slower leg-cutter to entice the dangerous Marco Jansen into a catch, taken by vice-captain Venkatesh Iyer at long-on.

"I have been focusing on death bowling with DJ sir and Bharat Arun sir during practice, and I am pleased with the results," Vaibhav shared with reporters after the match.

Despite a decrease in the run rate towards the end, Punjab managed to post a total of 201/5, presenting Kolkata with a challenging target. However, heavy rain at Eden Gardens led to the match being abandoned before Kolkata could devise a strategy for success.

Vaibhav chose to focus on the positives, expressing hope that the single point gained could be beneficial in their title defense. He remarked, "It's unfortunate that the match didn't happen; however, it's better to secure one point than none. There could be a situation where we qualify with just one point, so we will view this positively."

Currently, Kolkata sits in seventh place with seven points, still four points shy of overtaking Punjab for the fourth position. Their struggles have largely stemmed from inconsistent batting, with Rahane being the standout performer.

The 27-year-old acknowledged the team's batting shortcomings and committed to improving in upcoming matches, stating, "Our bowling has been solid, but we need to enhance our batting. We will continue to bowl well and work on our batting performance."