Punjab Kings (PBKS) failed to end their campaign with a win against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). Sunrisers Hyderabad ended their campaign with a win and finished second in the table so now they will face Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Qualifier 1.
Punjab Kings had a great start and registered a good total but the guns of Sunrisers Hyderabad spoiled the evening of Punjab Kings. Sunrisers Hyderabad won the match by 4 wickets.
Sanjay Bangar sheds light on Punjab Kings’ flopped campaign
Sanjay Bangar who is the head of cricket development of Punjab Kings shares his views on the flop season of Punjab Kings. Punjab Kings had a rollercoaster ride season no players gained their form, skipper Shikhar Dhawan got injured and was ruled out completely, and Sam Curran took over the captaincy but failed to generate wins. Combination for the team was in the hunt and many combinations were tried by them players were backed but failed to their promises. Young sensations Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma were in different forms their innings were the highlight for the team and had a huge impact on the team. Though Punjab Kings failed to win matches one match straight away went into the history books where they chased the highest T20 total against Kolkata Knight Riders.
Sanjay Bangar speaks on home fixtures and overseas players
Punjab Kings registered just one win out of seven matches and this time they played in their new stadium Mullanpur. Sanjay Bangar shared his views on home fixtures:
“We could not adapt to the home conditions. We won four out of the seven away matches but out of the seven home matches we just managed to win one. So, if a team has to progress in a tournament, certainly that is a worrying aspect,” Bangar said at the post-match press conference.
“The four games we lost back-to-back through midseason, all of their home matches, and the two close games we lost, hurt us. In some matches that went down the wire, we could not win the crucial moments. If you leave so many things to be done in the later half of the season then it’s always a challenge,”
Overseas players like Kagiso Rabada, Liam Livingstone, and Rilee Rossouw couldn’t perform well and had a forgettable season. Overseas players lack in their performances and so can’t contribute enough to the team.
“For us, even losing Livingstone with a niggle around his knee, the ECB pulling him out. Even KG (Kagiso Rabada) had an infection and he had to go back (to South Africa). Those things coupled together meant that when we came to the last two matches, we were short of players of international pedigree and experience,” he added.
Sanjay Bangar shares light on last fixture
On Sunday Punjab Kings lost their last match against mighty Sunrisers Hyderabad and ended their campaign on a losing note. Though batting was on a roll but failed in bowling and so they lost the match. Sanjay Bangar says:
“Once the field spread out we could have applied a little more pressure on them. We have given away 15-20 runs too many in powerplay,”
Punjab Kings finished ninth in the position and had a very below-average season facing many challenges and faced many ups and downs.