We are hungry to win: Yuvraj

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MOHALI: Kings XI Punjab skipper Yuvraj Singh on Tuesday said his team was "hungry for a win" as they want to end their league campaign in the IPL on a winning note against Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday.

"We are hungry to win after previous match's loss (against Kolkata)," Yuvraj told a pre-match press conference at PCA stadium.

"We have lost a match against them (Royals) earlier and we will look to win on Wednesday," he said.

Yuvraj said maintaining consistency in all three departments of the game was important and though they had proved themselves in batting and bowling, fielding was an area of concern and needed improvement.

About Wednesday's match being touted as "virtual final" as two top teams of the IPL would be battling it out, the swashbuckling left-hander said, "It is early to think about finals. Our preparation is to win the immediate game and then win the semifinal."

Though Yuvraj does not feel a victory on Wednesday is going to give an outright psychological advantage yet he said a win always boosts up team's confidence.

"After a win, definitely the confidence level will be different, but in a Twenty20 game it is always the execution of your plans in a particular game that helps you," he said.

Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals look confident to maintain their winning momentum.

"We are looking to having a clean sweep on Wednesday. Our skipper Shane Warne is certainly not relaxing and winning each game is important for us," Royals coaching director Darren Berry said at a separate press conference.

He said the best thing about Royals was that the team has shown that it did not just rely on the big names, but little known youngsters were also doing their job just like in Monday's match against Mumbai Indians.

Berry said his side has "a lot of respect" for the Punjab team and could not afford to take them lightly.

He said with lot of games being decided in the last over and even the final ball, the team which handles the "mental pressure" well will emerge winner.

Royals sports psychologist Jeremy Snape said his side has been able to cope pressure well and that has helped the team.

"Being mentally tough under pressure situations helps you. We also replicate pressure situation of big matches during the course of our practice sessions and it has yielded good results as our boys have emerged stronger under pressure," he said.

Asked to comment on how his team had managed to come out on top without many big international stars, Snape said having "no hierarchy" in the team was helping them.

"Darren Berry, myself and Warne have created a fantastic environment and there is no hierarchy in our team," he said.
 
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