IPL 2021: "The major reason PBKS look unsettled is because of Pooran's dismal run of form" - Gautam Gambhir
Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir opined that the main reason for the inconsistent and unsettled starting lineup of the Punjab Kings (PBKS) is due to Nicholas Pooran's dismal run of form.
Pooran escorted his horrid run of form from India to the UAE. His four ducks in the first leg of the tournament showed his poor form with the bat, and his outings in the UAE have not been any different either.
In 11 innings this season, the West Indian has managed to score only 85 runs at a bleak average of 7.72 runs per match for his side.
Although the KL Rahul-led side has backed the 26-year old throughout the tournament, they have made a plethora of changes to the side consistently. PBKS have made the highest number of changes during the ongoing 14th edition of the IPL, with 25 alterations to the playing XI in 13 matches.
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While speaking with ESPNcricinfo, Gambhir previewed today's (October 7) encounter between the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and PBKS and explained the rationale behind the erratic starting XIs of the latter. He said:
"The major reason PBKS looks unsettled is because of Pooran's dismal run of form. His form was terrible starting in the first leg. Last year Punjab faced a similar situation with Glenn Maxwell. And when your main foreign batter doesn't score runs, the entire team looks unsettled."
What's even worse for PBKS is that they don't even have a player of Pooran's caliber to replace the left-hander.
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PBKS were never able to select their best XI: Gautam Gambhir
Gambhir also mentioned that all top quality teams have one similar characteristic among themselves, i.e., they remain settled and don't make too many changes regularly. The former cricketer-turned commentator elucidated:
''Top teams don't change their starting lineup too much. They remain very settled every time. There may be one change in a match depending upon the conditions, but moreover they remain sorted out. However, Punjab were never able to select their best starting XI."
Anil Kumble's troops, who are practically out of contention for the IPL 2021 playoffs, will kick off their last IPL 2021 match against the Chennai Super Kings today at 3:30 p.m. in Dubai.
Bring in your best form & calmness! - Eric
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