IPL 2021: Where is it going wrong for Punjab Kings (PBKS)?
Despite boasting of talented personnel, Punjab Kings (PBKS) have once again had a disappointing start to their IPL campaign. PBKS have suffered defeats in three of their four fixtures and already seem to be reeling from some major issues.
PBKS had a campaign of two halves in IPL 2020, one where they failed to close out matches and went through a streak of defeats, and the other which saw them pull off consistent performances and come out triumphant. But the ground conceded in the first half was so much that it eventually hurt Punjab Kings in their quest to reach the playoffs. The team finished sixth in the points table.
The disappointment of losing out on the playoffs, though, didn’t deter the Punjab Kings think-tank from retaining their core group of players for IPL 2021. The team kept the trust on skipper KL Rahul and most of their last year’s representatives in the retention & release process, besides making some interesting inclusions at the auction in February.
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Yet, that hasn’t so far reflected in the team’s performances, with PBKS only just keeping Rajasthan Royals (RR) at bay in their opening game and losing consecutive matches to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Delhi Capitals (DC). In the match against a struggling Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) side on Wednesday in Chennai, PBKS were bundled out for a score of just 120 and suffered another loss.
Punjab Kings have a collective batting average of 21.89 and strike-rate of just 128.24 and had an economy rate of 9.67 while conceding 34.80 runs per wicket before the SRH encounter. Their insipid numbers in either department perhaps give a peek into PBKS’ struggles. The problems, though, run deep for the north-based franchise, who have had some questionable tactics and have made regular changes to their playing XIs without getting it right.
Where is it going wrong for Punjab Kings (PBKS)?
One longstanding problem that has already cost Punjab Kings a match in this year’s IPL has been captain Rahul’s approach at the crease. While Rahul has been undoubtedly consistent with the bat from IPL 2020, his runs have come at an unacceptably low strike-rate. Rahul has gone at a sedate tempo with the intent to bat deep into the innings and setting himself up for a late acceleration.
The day he isn’t able to provide the final flourish to his effort, though, Rahul’s knocks hurt PBKS badly. It was evident in the match against Delhi Capitals (DC) where, at a high-scoring venue like Mumbai, Rahul managed to score just 61 off 51 deliveries, conceding a big chunk of the balls to the opposition in PBKS’ painful defeat.
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With Rahul perhaps letting the captaincy badge playing into his mind too much and opting for a questionable approach, what has doubled the problems for Punjab Kings as a batting unit are the failures of Chris Gayle and Nicholas Pooran together. Two of Punjab Kings’ major overseas names have failed to come to the party so far. While Gayle has scored only 76 runs from his 4 innings, Pooran hasn’t disturbed the scorers as many as three times in the competition thus far.
PBKS’ best performer with the bat has been young Shahrukh Khan, which is telling in itself of the team’s batting issues. Though the likes of Rahul, Gayle, and Mayank Agarwal are expected to fire together at some stage, PBKS still have an inconsistent middle-order with Pooran facing problems against quality fast-bowling and Deepak Hooda once again not maintaining his success after one good performance.
In the bowling department, young uncapped left-arm seamer Harshdeep Singh has been the best on show for Punjab Kings, which, again, says something of a side featuring Mohammad Shami and two hefty overseas signings in Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith. Shami hasn’t quite become the dependable cog that PBKS would’ve expected him to be in their wheels.
And while Richardson and Meredith do possess a varying set of skills that might serve the team well in different stages of an innings over time, PBKS think-tank has been guilty of not backing them through this process. Both the quicks were shockingly left out for the match against SRH after just three outings each as PBKS hardly looked in any control in the second half.
Another poor example of PBKS’ handling of their resources has been the inexplicable absence of wrist-spinner Ravi Bishnoi from their playing XI. Bishnoi was, clearly, one of the biggest positives for his team last season but hasn’t featured in any of the matches. PBKS have, instead, gone with Murugan Ashwin, who has neither been a wicket-taker nor someone managing to keep a leash on run-scoring. When Bishnoi played for PBKS last season, he picked 12 wickets with a respectable economy rate of 7.37.