Jaipur, May 27 (IANS) Australia batter Josh Inglis was all jokes after being asked about replacing Shreyas Iyer at no. three in the batting order after his 73-run contribution set up a vital victory for the Punjab Kings at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.

With this win, Punjab are close to sealing the first spot, citing their superior run-rate over RCB, who have a chance of levelling PBKS on points when they face LSG on Wednesday.

Inglis also reflected on his 109-run stand with young gun Priyansh Arya that took the game away from Mumbai Indians.

“The left-right combo helped, with the short boundary. We targeted that, played smart cricket, picking up match-ups and balls. Would’ve been nice for one of us to be at the end. Happy we got home. I’ve faced a lot of Santner, we know how each other operates, a cat and mouse with the short boundary. But he’s great. I don’t have to say much to Priyansh, really nice batting with him. I don’t think Shreyas is too happy about that but I am (Shreyas’ position). Tonight, I felt I could build an innings after a few shorts. I haven’t got the power of the other guys, have to pick gaps which,” said Inglis after collecting his PotM honour.

Inglis has been moved up and down the batting order through the course of the season, which has resulted in inconsistency but he now seems to have found his footing in the top-order. Iyer also talked about the reason behind moving him up the order.

“Inglis is the only player whose position has been chopping and changing. Since he loves playing the new ball, I wanted him to play more deliveries. It worked wonders. We know he’s destructive and a big-match player with a great attitude,” he added.

–IANS

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