"I don't think he was overpriced at the auction" - Virender Sehwag on Krunal Pandya's heroics against PBKS in IPL 2022
Punjab Kings (PBKS) succumbed to their fifth defeat this season at the hands of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the MCA Stadium in Pune on 29 April. The chief architect behind the defeat was arguably Krunal Pandya with the ball.
Former Indian batter Virender Sehwag believes the all-rounder has justified his price tag with his displays in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. The 31-year-old was roped in by the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for a price of ₹8.25 crore at the mega auction. As many as five franchises bid for Krunal Pandya.
He showed his worth with yet another tight bowling display against PBKS. He was adjudged as the 'Player of the Match' for his match-winning spell of 2-12. It included the wickets of Jitesh Sharma and Bhanuka Rajapaksa.
WIth 153 to chase, Punjab could only manage 133/8 and lost by 20 runs.
For his brilliant spell and bowling figures of 2/11, @krunalpandya24 is our Top Performer from the second innings.
A look at his bowling summary here 👇👇 #TATAIPL #PBKSvLSG https://t.co/i8jOfJYebG
Claiming Pandya's experience as his biggest asset, Sehwag said on Cricbuzz:
"I don't think Krunal Pandya was overpriced at the auction. He has the caliber and the experience. How much ever money you pay for an experienced player, it is less. He is showing his experience, he is bowling well. Has not contributed much with the bat, but we may get to see that going ahead. "
The former Mumbai Indians player has claimed nine wickets at a miserly economy of 6.12 in nine matches so far this season. Moreover, he has 119 runs under his belt at a strike rate of 143.37.
Pandya's spell in the middle overs tightened the game, but LSG were still far away from victory with Bairstow settled at the crease nearing the death overs.
Believing that PBKS were in the game until the beginning of the death overs, Sehwag said:
"With 50 needed in the last 5 overs, I thought they were in the game, and they were. They had 5 wickets in hand at that point. But, after that more than half of the deliveries were dot balls."
Dushmanta Chameera claimed the crucial wicket of the Englishman. After this, PBKS' lower-middle order only managed to put up a meek fight against the rising required rate.
"These are the games that you have to win at all costs" - Pragyan Ojha believes PBKS are not learning from their mistakes
After a spirited performance with the ball, where the bowlers nullified LSG's middle-order, PBKS were expected to put up a strong performance. However, their chase was derailed by wickets at regular intervals and lack of depth in the batting order.
💔 https://t.co/zD57oMzYWw
Opining that the ego of certain PBKS batters might be the reason behind their recurring mistakes, Ojha said:
"From PBKS' perspective, these are the games that you have to win at all costs. You don't get opportunities like this too often. They were right in the game and they repeated the same mistakes again. They are not learning from their mistakes or some players are on their ego, claiming that they will only play their way."
The Mayank Agarwal-led side will next face Gujarat Titans (GT) on May 3 (Tuesday) at the DY Patil Stadium.