PBKS were roaring in this season with 2 dominating wins, but a struggling RR humbled them at their own backyard & won the match by a massive margin of 50. Let’s see the reasons for their loss.
Top order failure
PBKS were chasing a huge total of 206. So they were in a hurry to maximize the powerplay and lost early wickets. They lost 2 wickets, including their Captain Shreyas Iyer, in the first over itself, which was a great setback for them. They lost 3 wickets within the powerplay, and the 4th wicket fell in the 7th over.
So the middle order took some time to build a partnership. It affected the run rate and put pressure on them in the death overs.
Lost momentum at the right time
After a top-order collapse, Glenn Maxwell and Nehal Wadhera built a partnership in the middle that gave hope to the home fans and kept Punjab alive in the game. After spending some time on the crease, Wadhera started to counterattack the spinners and accelerated. Maxwell couldn’t connect the ball well, so he was supporting him.
But both of them got out in consecutive deliveries, which ended the hopes of the home team. They couldn’t carry the game to the end.
Poor Bowling performance
Punjab’s bowling plan didn’t work well today. RR openers set a strong foundation by scoring 89 runs in 10 overs, which set the tone for the other batters to set a huge target. RR openers targeted their weak link, Marcus Stoinis, and attacked their Prime spinner Yuzvendra Chahal.
It shattered the plans of Shreyas Iyer. Stoinis went for 48 runs in 4 overs, and Chahal went for 32 runs in 3 overs. RR have now exposed the Stoinis weakness of Punjab and they have to look for an alternative solution now.
Also Read: PBKS vs RR: Jofra Archer & RR Give A Reality Check To PBKS​