IPL 6: 4 reasons why Kings XI Punjab has failed this season
The loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad at Mohali means that Kings XI Punjab is almost out of the India Premier League. The Mohali-based side has had an inconsistent run in the tournament, with only 5 wins in 13 games, and is languishing in sixth position on the points table. Considered by the experts as one of the ‘lesser-fancied sides’ of the IPL, Kings XI Punjab has shown glimpses of brilliance but haven’t been able to seize crucial moments during some of their games and are now staring at yet another early exit from the IPL.
Over the six editions of the IPL, Kings XI Punjab has become a perennial mid-table side. Barring the inaugural season when Punjab reached the semi-final stage, the Preity Zinta-Ness Wadia co-owned side hasn’t been able to go past the group stage even once. This season, they started the tournament on a promising note with a comprehensive win over Pune Warriors, but since then it has been an uneven ride for the Punjabis.
Many believe that the lack of big names in the squad is the reason behind Punjab’s downfall in this year’s IPL. This is far from reality. Teams like Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad have proved that star players don’t win you games (unless off course you have a certain Chris Gayle in your line-up).
With youngsters like Piyush Chawla, Mandeep Singh and Harmeet Singh in their ranks, Punjab has one the best pool of young Indian talents among all IPL franchisees. The overseas squad, which comprises of T-20 stalwarts like David Hussey, Shaun Marsh and Azhar Mahmood and off course the South African mauler, David Miller, isn’t short of ability either. So why has a team with so much potential not won matches as frequently as they should have? Here are four reasons why:
Batting woes
For starters, the two senior-most players of Punjab, Adam Gilchrist and David Hussey, haven’t fired in the tournament. They have got starts but haven’t been able to convert them into big scores. Also, the fact that their highest opening partnership this season is just 45 shows that the opening pair of Adam Gilchrist and Mandeep Singh, and afterwards Shaun Marsh and Mandeep Singh, has failed to get going at the top.
Also, Indian youngsters Mandeep Singh and Manan Vohra have been patchy with the bat. They have shown potential but have got out due to their poor shot-selections at crucial junctures, also showing that they still lack the temperament to compete at the highest level. This has meant that the likes of Miller and Marsh have had to do most of the run-making for Kings XI. Especially Miller, who has been the lynchpin for Punjab, and once he has gotten out, Kings XI have struggled to get going with the bat more often than not.
Bowling – Inconsistency personified
As far as bowling in concerned, the fast-bowling unit of Praveen Kumar, Parvinder Awana and Manpreet Gony has been highly inconsistent, especially at the death where they have bowled erratic lines and lengths. The spin of Piyush Chawla has been another cause for worry. Chawla’s lengths have been too short, something which can be fatal in T20 cricket where batsmen are looking to score off every ball.
The all-rounder conundrum
Chennai have Bravo and Jadeja, Mumbai has Pollard, Rajasthan have Watson and Cooper – all teams that are sitting pretty at the top of the IPL table have one or two all-rounders in their squad who can whack it a distance when needed and can bowl crucial overs if one of the senior bowlers is having an off day. Kings XI have also dearly missed a genuine all-rounder in their side since Azhar Mahmood has not been able to perform upto the standards he is used to in county cricket. Chennai lad R Satish has tried hard to fill that role for Punjab, but he hasn’t been able to turn heads with his performances on the field.
Inability to seize the key moments during matches
T-20 cricket is all about winning vital moments during the match. A tight over here and a brilliant run-out there can change the course of the match. It’s these one-percenters that make all the difference in the end. This is another key aspect Kings XI have failed to capitalize on. Except the game against Bangalore, where five overs of rampage by Miller turned the tide in Punjab’s favour, all other games were a case of Punjab failing to grab onto opportunities when it mattered the most.
David Hussey’s last over against Mumbai, Punjab’s inability to hit boundaries during the death overs against Rajasthan, Mandeep’s drop of Thisara Perera against Hyderabad – all these moments turned out to be of paramount importance at the end and are what separated Punjab from two crucial points.
Kings XI Punjab won’t be winning the IPL this year. Those charmed dimples of Preity Zinta will no longer be on display. But there is hope for Preity next season as the existing contracts for all players’ end after the current season and the 2014 auctions can see a complete transformation for all IPL teams.
Looking at Kings XI’s performance in the last few seasons, Preity will surely be looking to make some good buys come the 2014 auctions.