Dharamsala: Two weeks ago, Punjab Kings looked like a team no one wanted to face. Six wins in seven matches – just one blip – put them at the top of the points table, a net run rate to envy and a swagger that suggested the play-offs were a mere formality.Fast forward to now, and four straight losses have dropped them to fourth place with 13 points with a net run rate of +0.428 in 11 games.
The slide has been as sudden as it is sloppy. Failure to defend 222 against Rajasthan Royals, followed by a sloppy batting display against Gujarat Titans where they scored just 163 and GT chased it down, then collapsing under Sunrisers Hyderabad’s mammoth score of 235, and now the latest heartbreak: a three-wicket loss to Delhi Capitals at Dharamkurshala for 201.What looks like a Qualifier 1 procession now demands perfection in the final three games – against Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore at home in Dharamsala, then Lucknow Supergiants away.Captain Shreyas Iyer After the DC defeat, the words did not. “I don’t have to beat around the bush,” he said. “I would say the fielding and bowling let us down again. 210 was 30 runs more on that wicket considering how the ball was seaming and the variable bounce.”And Iyer is right. Fielding has become a recurring nightmare for Punjab. He has given up 19 catches this season, the most by any team, including two more against D.C. on Monday. In 11 games, their catch success rate sits at a dismal 71.43 per cent – joint worst with Chennai Super Kings.Spin bowling coach Sairaj Bhatole acknowledged the rot after the game against Delhi. “We are dropping catches at crucial times. We’ll definitely look at those areas and see how we can turn it around for us,” he said. Everyone has done well in the tournament at one point or another. We’ll get better.”Bowling has also lost its influence. Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal appeared in the Dharamsala match – IPL)’s highest wicket-taker – fell behind completely for only the fourth time in his 185-match IPL career. Bahotole explained it as “a tactical call on the seaming track”.
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Iyer, on his part, added: “The way the ball was seaming and helping the seamers, I think if we had played our lines and lengths correctly, we could have got wickets just with the seamers. But unfortunately, we didn’t.”Bahotul, however, is not yet ready to press the panic button. “We started really well and, yes, we have lost our last four matches, but we are still trying to qualify,” he said. “We just need to put these (last four games) aside and move on and play the next three games to the best of our ability. It’s a tournament of ups and downs, and we have to stay focused on the way forward.”“Everybody’s disappointed, but you can’t really overthink or overanalyze a lot of things.” It is very important to learn from the losses and look at the positive aspects. We will look at these strengths and move forward for the next challenge,” he added.
