Gilchrist had captained the Chargers in the first three editions of the league, before being bought by the Punjab franchise early this year. The former Australia wicketkeeper was also instrumental in guiding his team to the title in the second edition, held in South Africa.
“Obviously, he is a good player. One of the greats of the game. Hopefully, he doesn’t go off like he did for Deccan. We have to get him early because he can score at a good rate,” coach Darren Lehmann said at a pre-match press conference on Friday. Lehmann said that Gilchrist’s previous stint as captain of the Chargers would not have any bearing on Saturday’s game. He, however, felt that his own skipper Kumar Sangakkara would know a lot about their opponent’s strengths and weaknesses. The Sri Lankan had led Punjab in the last two editions.
Lehmann said that his team would not just focus on Gilchrist and that it has a plan for every player. “We have a plan for the batsmen and the bowlers. But it all boils down to who executes the plans better on the day,” he added.
He indicated that the team would go in with three seamers for the second consecutive game considering the conditions and the balance of the playing XI.
“It depends on the wicket and who we are playing. We just felt that there was a better balance last night to go in with three quicks. Manpreet did a good job and Ishant Sharma bowled beautifully again. That was last night. I am not sure how I will go tomorrow. But, more or less, we will play three quicks again,” he said.
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