IPL 2022 | Bases Punjab need to cover to make it to the playoffs and beyond

Punjab Kings (PBKS) will be facing Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the 52nd match of the Indian T20 League 2022 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. While RR are placed at number three in the points table, PBKS’ position looks dicey at number seven.

Punjab’s biggest problem this season has been their consistency. They have been outstanding in some of the matches, while in others, they have been thoroughly outplayed by the opposition. Consequently, they have lost five of the ten games they have played so far. Mayank Agarwal’s side needs to win the remaining of their matches by significant margins to qualify for the playoffs and keep themselves in contention for their first IPL title.

Here are some basic areas they need to concentrate on to bring their campaign back on track.

Batters sharing responsibility: PBKS batting efforts have been over-dependent on a few players. They have been over-dependent on Shikhar Dhawan to give them solid starts at the top. The likes of Mayank Agarwal and Jonny Bairstow have failed to play according to expectations till now.

While the top order has been depending on Dhawan, the middle order has been moving ahead on the lone shoulders of Liam Livingstone. However, Bhanuka Rajapaksa has given stability to the batting order in the last couple of matches. It was a blunder on Punjab’s part to drop him after Bairstow became available.

Let us try and find out the truth, in fact, about teams’ over-dependency on some players.

Shikhar Dhawan: In the five matches PBKS have won, they have scored 962 runs in them. Out of these runs, Dhawan has scored 269 runs, about 28 per cent of the team’s total. This speaks volumes about Dhawan’s contribution to Punjab’s wins.

Liam Livingstone: Livingstone has scored 293 runs in the tournament from 10 matches at a strike rate of 186.62. He has been the major contributor to PBKS batting in the middle order.

Another significant contributor to PBKS has been Rajapaksa in the slight chances he has got. However, the rest of the batters will have to share the responsibilities for Punjab to perform better.

Non-penetrative middle-over bowling efforts: PBKS have been mainly dependent on Rahul Chahar for the middle over bowling efforts. While he has been decent this season, picking up 12 wickets from 10 matches at an average of 22.08 and a strike rate of 17.5, they faltered when he has been tonked by the opposition. 

However, the inclusion of Rishi Dhawan in the last two matches has helped them, but they are failing to take enough wickets in the middle orders.

PBKS need to find a solution to their middle-over bowling problems immediately. They will have to look for penetrative options and be innovative about their field placings to gain an advantage in the most crucial match phase.

Mayank Agarwal’s captaincy: Agarwal has been a reactive captain throughout the season. He has not been in the greatest of forms with the bat, and we also saw him demoting himself down the order in the last match. The drought of runs with the bat might be why he cannot lead from the front.

The Punjab skipper needs to find his form and confidence with the bat. This will help his captaincy and be more proactive while leading the team. PBKS will hope that their skipper returns to form soon and starts leading them from the front going ahead in the tournament.