Kings collapse
Punjab had to exercise some caution in light of the circumstances, which included not going after a huge total and losing two of their international mainstays early. However, it doesn’t always appear as though the batters in this IPL, particularly the ones who aren’t quite accustomed to the ups and downs of longer-form cricket at the international level, can control their aggression. Despite being on an all-out offensive, two of their better players this unpredictable season have been Shashank Singh and Prabhsimran Singh. They were found wanting when forced to play longer innings and show some complexity against the left-arm spin combination of Mitchell Santner and Ravindra Jadeja.
An overly enthusiastic approach proved to be their undoing while rotating strike, a lost art in modern T20 cricket. They were 62/2 in less than 8 overs while chasing 168, the average total at the ground. However, they were defeated by Chennai Super Kings by 28 runs in 12.3 overs, dealing a fatal blow to their already thin playoff hopes.
After two overs, Punjab Kings were 9/2; however, in six overs, Prabhsimran and Shashank contributed 53. They used the top drawer for a few of the shots they played. The season’s high point has been Shashank’s effortless power and full bat swing. At that point, they would have even been favourites to continue their winning streak against the Chennai Super Kings to six games, but their inexperience and lack of maturity ultimately proved to be their downfall. Ashutosh Sharma, Sam Curran, and Jitesh Sharma were all removed from the game shortly after their dismissals, which came about seven balls apart. This sealed the outcome long before the last rites were carried out.
And this against a squad that did not have Matheesha Pathirana, Deepak Chahar, or Mustafizur Rahman as three of their first-choice pace options.
For the Punjab Kings, though, it’s nothing new. With a few victories, they might inspire hope among their supporters, but they frequently fall well short of what is required to have a significant impact. They are aptly referred to as one of the league’s lightweight teams, having missed the playoffs for ten years. They appear to reassemble their team each year, but they are never able to consistently compete with the big boys.
Taking the situation head-on
Sometimes all it takes is the chance to demonstrate one’s abilities. In the absence of the regular suspects and foreign recruits, Tushar Deshpande has led Chennai’s seam attack. In his native Chennai, he was a standout performer who helped the team defeat the Gujarat Titans, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Deshpande got things going on Sunday by taking the wickets of Jonny Bairstow and Rilee Rossouw, the two batsmen who made the chase in Chennai a few days prior, making their side’s total against a team that had defeated them five times in a row, far from unbeatable.
And he shown his adaptability with the new ball to do just that. Fearing a crowded pitch, Bairstow frequently creates space for balls to scuttle past him. Initially, Deshpande tricked him with a fake that vanished and created an outside edge that went beyond an unprepared Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The ball that followed struck the inside edge and narrowly missed the stumps. The next one came in hard, and through the tentative Englishman’s pads, smacked into off-stump.
The superb length caught Rossouw off guard, and he was surprised by one that moved just enough to rattle the furniture.
CSK needed some early momentum after dropping their last two games and being limited to a mediocre total, and Deshpande gave them exactly that.
Following the normal CSK antics from the spinners, Impact Sub Simarjeet Singh found his opportunity. The Delhi native, 26, gave Ashutosh the hurry-up and produced enough bounce and pace to gain an edge on a Jitesh short ball that was hit horizontally for a catch behind the wicket.
Harshal Patel spooned an easy catch to square-leg after failing to make the required connection with a hard-length ball.
Even though CSK’s bowling assault is lacking some important players, Simarjeet made a strong case to be given more opportunities as the league season comes to a finish.
Tormented by a spin tormenter
In order to destroy spinners in the middle overs, Shivam Dube was chosen for the Indian T20 World Cup team. The left-hander’s prolific hitting during the first half of the IPL season led to his selection. However, since the team’s announcement, Dube has only managed two wickets, both losses to leg-spinner Rahul Chahar. He made a bold move in Chennai and was caught completely off guard. He attempted to flay one through the offside at Dharamsala on Sunday, but was sent out by a googly after managing an edge to the wicketkeeper.
After the Powerplay had given up 60 runs for the loss of Ajinkya Rahane’s wicket, it was Chahar’s spell that allowed the Punjab Kings to reenter the contest. Daryl Mitchell was removed at number three and was giving the innings some impetus, but Ruturaj Gaikwad was looking strong when he edged one behind the leg-spinner.
Before his last over went for 13 runs, Chahar had 3/10 from his first three overs while putting a leash on the CSK batter. Following that, Harshal Patel came up with three wickets of his own, including the first-ball dismissal of Dhoni to limit CSK, but Punjab Kings’ batting performance was dreadful.
