The Punjab Kings have a must-win encounter against the Lucknow Super Giants in their final game of the league stage and they have to secure the 2 points to reach the 15-point mark. This will be the decider
for the Kings as a loss would result in their elimination and a win will keep their playoff hopes alive. Shreyas Iyer and his men have been going through a rough patch with 6 losses on the trot and they will have to stop themselves from sliding even further down with a victory against LSG at Ekana tomorrow.
There have been some constant flows which are evident in the Punjab Kings matches and they will have to tighten up on those areas. It wouldn’t be an easy task for the PBKS Head Coach Ricky Ponting to keep the mood in the camp positive but this will be their one last shy at the qualification spot. PBKS will have to avoid making unnecessary errors that have cost them dearly in some of the previous games for the side.
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3)Under-utilization of Yuzvendra Chahal
The Punjab Kings spinner has been one of the best bowlers in their side and he is a timeless legend as well with 200+ wickets in IPL history. The impact he makes every time he is given the ball is absolutely essential and Shreyas Iyer hasn’t utilized him properly. In the game against the Delhi Capitals, Chahal wasn’t given a single and that caused the skipper to complete the quotas of his full-time bowlers quite early. He is an incredibly intelligent bowler and Punjab really need to show some faith in him rather than waiting for the perfect conditions to bring him on.
2)Costly Fielding Errors
The most daunting factor for the Punjab Kings in this season would be their fielding and ability to win such moments in the game. LSG isn’t necessarily a batting heavy side as they have been predominantly characterised by the might of Mitchell Marsh and Josh Inglis. Punjab will have to try and make the most of every opportunity presented to them rather than being lazy and silly in the outfield. Shashank Singh has been their main culprit and he will have to tighten up on his catching.
1)Uncontrolled aggression in powerplay
It is beyond doubt that Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh are phenomenal batters especially in the early phases of the game. But one thing they will have to work on will be to adopt a cautious approach when one of the batters get out. This comes in handy in run chases as they do have enough firepower in the middle order to maybe leave 60-70 odd runs for the last 5 overs. The PBKS top order will have to respect the pitch conditions and the new ball to stay in the game rather than throwing away the important wickets at an early juncture in the game.
