It’s not a big fight you’re going to have on Sunday. Kings XI Punjab and Gujarat Titans faced off in a match where both sides were far from their best. What was supposed to be a routine chase was complicated by errors from the Gujarat batting unit. With one over after another leaving the job to others, Punjab suddenly seemed to have won a game. But Rahul Tewatia came to the stage. He came in a hurry and finished the game as soon as possible and he was completely successful.
really missing
The absence of Shikhar Dhawan at No. 1 Jonny Bairstow could be a blessing in disguise for the Punjab Kings. Riding on the good form of Ashutosh Sharma, Shashank Singh and Jitesh Sharma, Punjab managed to get Sam Curran Curran and pushed Prabhsimran Singh to the top. They are not tall but very skilled T20 batsmen who can tear apart an attack. Thus Prabhu Simran handled it firmly in the powerplay, giving Punjab the start they desperately needed. It was a night where he didn’t change his lead again but three sixes and as many boundaries were enough for the Gujarat titans. Rashid Khan in Game of Thrones.
Five star reviews or bad referees
Some DRS referrals this IPL have been made out of sheer desperation. There are also cases where teams waste opportunities for review. But few teams get it quite right. It looked like a brave decision when Gujarat Titans issued a not-out decision to Noor Ahmed’s Riley Rasu. But within seconds it would prove to be a brilliant call as it took another live call off camera, keeping the lead as plumb as possible. In the next game, when the umpire rejected Rashid Khan’s lbw call on Curran, Gujarat sought a referral. Another mistake by the on-field umpires and Gujarat broke Punjab’s back.
The lightweight king
It showed that Kings XI Punjab were short of firepower in their top-order and stand-in captain Sam Curran had to come on board against Gujarat Titans. His partner Prabhasimran Singh is aggressive but will not be too afraid of the bowling attack. He had some joy against the fast bowlers, but it didn’t last long. Shikhar Dhawan and Jonny Bairstow are not out to set the world on fire. Their overseas batsmen Riley Rossouw and Liam Livingstone are yet to win a match for them, while the England and South African players have not fared well for Afghanistan’s wrist-spinners Noor Ahmed and Rashid Khan. Kings XI Punjab’s best players are their designated finishers Ashutosh Sharma and Shashank Singh, but their batting actions are often fruitless as their top order hardly gives them any platform. While some teams find themselves in the bottom half of the table due to poor performances, Kings XI Punjab seem to lack resources and are often at a disadvantage in terms of firepower.
average performance
After a heartbreaking performance at the Eden Gardens, Royal Challengers Bangalore are, for all intents and purposes, already out of playoff contention. Kings XI Punjab seem to be moving in the same direction. Their top order lacked batting inspiration. Indian batsmen are considered excellent spin players; Kings XI Punjab’s lack of any top local batting talent hurt them a lot. This puts all the onus on their overseas players, who are not having a great time with the bat, and the finisher duo of Ashutosh Sharma and Shashank Singh. But they cannot always carry out rescue operations as seen in Mollanpur on Sunday. That there don’t seem to be many viable options on the bench to turn things around also suggests a poor job at the auction table. The series seems to be in a perennial process of rebuilding and rebooting, never quite making a solid and strong impression. Gujarat Titans thrashed Delhi Capitals – another bottom half team who – in their final game – looked rather impressive by the inferior hosts.
A variety of exciting bowling balls
Left-arm wrist spin, right-arm wrist spin, left-arm orthodox, right-arm non-spin…that was Gujarat’s spin combination that day. And these four men did all the harm to the King of Punjab. This diversity within the ranks means that suppressing the opposition can be a nightmare for any batting unit. The worst part was that after Noor Ahmed and Rashid Khan, there was no respite for Punjab as Sai Kishore came in to take four wickets.
Confidence or inexplicable behavior?
The confused thinking in the Kings XI Punjab line-up was evident from Harpreet Singh’s confused decision to reject a single in the 20th over. He was adjudged a player of influence after the home team’s batting order was overwhelmed by some disciplined bowling by Gujarat Titans. But Harpreet could not make any expected impact in his team. Going into the final, Kings XI Punjab trailed by eight runs and scored 12 runs off 15 balls. They soon fell behind by nine points when Harshal Patel was caught in the boundary. Last man Kamujeng Rabada is famous for several hits in his time. Harpreet, on the other hand, never once found the boundary. Only Harpreet knew what was going through his mind when he rejected Mohit Sharma’s singles off the fourth and fifth balls of the 20th over. If he was very confident of hitting the final ball into the stands, it did not materialize. The timing of the match was poor and Harpreet was bowled out in the second over after scoring 14 off 19 balls.
Bidirectional rotation
Liam Livingstone is said to be the complete T20 package. A power hitter who hits the ball with the bat can hit the ball long and clean in a V shape. Even with the ball, he would be a tempting option for captaincy. K can bowl both off-spin and leg-spin depending on the strike and conditions. Here, he produced two breakthroughs as Gujarat followed cautiously. First he got rid of Shubman Gill with a nice leg-spin. With no rhythm, it was a delivery that many batsmen fell prey to and Gill was no exception. Then, in his third over, he took a right-spin ball from David Miller that went to slip. Livingstone burst onto the scene with a slow pitch and a wide-open over to put Punjab ahead.
Tags: PBKS grabs attention Pravsimran early match Harpreet Punjab flounders trouble Ashutosh Shashank rescue
