Sunil Gavaskar lashed out at the Punjab Kings (PBKS) for not learning from their past mistakes and repeating them. The former India captain came down heavily on the KL Rahul-led unit for losing their match against the Rajasthan Royals (RR). Punjab needed 10 runs off 15 balls at one stage with eight wickets in hand, yet they unbelievably lost.
Sunil Gavaskar: Punjab Once Again Made A Mess Of A Chase
In the previous match against Rajasthan Royals, KL Rahul led from the front by scoring 49 while his opening batting partner Mayank Agarwal aided him in scoring 67. Still, middle-order woes were out in the open as Aiden Markram and Nicholas Pooran failed to rotate the strike, and Deepak Hooda’s dismissal ended their hopes of winning.
With eight runs needed off 12 balls and eight wickets in hand, Mustafizur Rahman conceded just four singles off the penultimate over. Punjab Kings needed only four off the final over with eight wickets in hand, but they came up short. Not many expected the RR pacer to guide his team to a win, but Kartik Tyagi stunned everyone with a fantastic final over.
He bowled a dot ball to Aiden Markram to begin the over. The PBKS batsman took a single on the next ball. In the last over, well-set Nicholas Pooran handed a catch to Sanju Samson on the third ball while new batsman Deepak Hooda played a dot ball and lost his wicket on the penultimate delivery of the match. Caribbean star Fabian Allen had to score three runs off the last ball as he failed to connect the shot.
“Punjab once again made a mess of a chase and lost a match they should have won. Despite all talk of learning from past mistakes, the same errors of last year in UAE were repeated to give Rajasthan a win that three overs earlier looked highly unlikely.”
Sunil Gavaskar emphasized the importance of partnerships, throwing light on how it becomes the responsibility of the other batter to carry on batting after losing his settled partner.
“It’s important even in this ultra-short format of the game that after a good partnership, the batter, who is at the crease after his partner gets out, has to ensure that he carries on batting without taking too many chances, even as the new batter at the crease settles in. Punjab, last year, got great starts as they did in the game against Rajasthan, but then when the opening partnership was broken, the other partner got out fast,” Sunil Gavaskar added.
Sunil Gavaskar: Punjab Tried Non-Regular Bowlers Which Changed Rhythm And Momentum Of The Game
Sunil Gavaskar also stated that PBKS have let matches slip away by shifting the momentum with bowling part-timers at crucial junctures. In a major surprise, KL Rahul introduced Deepak Hooda as the first change bowler against RR, who was plundered for 37 runs off his two overs.
“Punjab keep trying non-regular bowlers, who go for 15 or 20 runs, and that changes the rhythm and momentum of the game completely,” Sunil Gavaskar further wrote.
“Punjab will take heart from the fact that Hyderabad are stuck at the bottom of the table, and if they get their team selection right, then they could still turn things around.”
PBKS will face bottom-placed Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Sharjah on Saturday (September 25).
Punjab left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh will be one to watch out for after a five-wicket haul against Rajasthan. David Warner’s horror time in the IPL continued as he was dismissed for a three-ball duck in the previous outing against Delhi Capitals. The absence of Jonny Bairstow has increased the pressure on the likes of Kane Williamson.
Sherfane Rutherford, Jonny Bairstow’s replacement, has left the IPL bubble to return home after his father’s death. His exit is a big blow. SRH has faced PBKS 17 times in the IPL since 2013, holding a 12-5 win-loss record.