'You have always got to keep believing' - Sam Curran addresses bowlers' mental toughness amid high-scoring IPL 2024 matches

In a season where the Punjab Kings once again fell short of the IPL playoffs, captain Sam Curran remains a beacon of optimism. The 25-year-old all-rounder, known for his exceptional skills and honored as the Player of the Tournament in the T20 World Cup 2022, still sees a bright side.

Curran admitted that it was a tough season for them, reflecting on the Kings' performance, but he said that one always has to keep believing. Even when one has a bad day, one wakes up the next day, stays positive, and keeps their mindset good.

"You have always got to keep believing when you have a bad day. You wake up the next day, stay positive, and keep your mindset good. As a captain, I have tried to keep the mood in the camp positive," Curran said in a chat with Sportstar.

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Curran has openly discussed the mental resilience needed for the demanding IPL tournament, highlighting its lengthy schedule and numerous games. He pointed to the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) as an example of a team that has recently found their stride.

"The mental aspect is very important. The IPL is a long tournament; there are lots of games, both home and away. You just have to look at a team like RCB (Royal Challengers Bengaluru) and see how they’ve found some rhythm in the last couple of games," he said.

The young captain stressed the significance of maintaining high morale, noting his efforts to keep the team's spirits up with the support of the management. Despite some close losses, he believes in staying positive and having faith that things will improve.

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Curran discussed the challenges bowlers face in the current trend of high-scoring matches, emphasizing the need to observe batters who are finding new ways to attack closely. He mentioned that Indian grounds offer excellent batting conditions and the dew factor adds to the difficulty. To cope, bowlers must continually challenge themselves in training and experiment with different types of deliveries.

"You’ve got to watch the batsmen. They are finding different ways to attack the bowlers. The grounds in India offer some really good batting wickets. There’s also the dew factor. As bowlers, you’ve got to keep challenging yourself in training. You need to start experimenting with different kinds of deliveries. You want to be in those moments —defending totals for your team. It might not always work, but you can reap great rewards from doing that.

"I just hope the game keeps developing in a fair way. The IPL is such a great tournament, so everyone wants to see lots of runs. That said, there’s nothing better than some good bowling as well. It’s been a fantastic competition in that regard," he added.