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PBKS Hits & Misses in IPL 2023: Reasons behind PBKS ‘s failure this season & What they can improve for next Year

What went wrong With PBKS?

The narrative for the Punjab Kings changed yet remained the same in IPL 2023. They had a topsy-turvy tournament that finally ended with them finishing in the eighth spot. Punjab Kings went on to win two games back to back early in the season. It appeared as if they will finally qualify for the playoffs after 9 years but it wasn’t meant to be. They needed two straight wins in their last two games to move to the next round. But shock defeats in both the home games left the Kings ruing for yet another season.

The pre-tournament expectations:

Punjab had a change in captain ahead of this season too. They appointed Shikhar Dhawan as their leader. But the injury to Jonny Bairstow did hurt their chances even before the start of the tournament. PBKS had an attacking batting lineup despite Bairstow’s absence. They were one of the dark horses before the season began. PBKS in that sense did live up to the expectations leaving people in shock and awe over a period of time.

We Look At What went wrong With PBKS?

What were the hits for PBKS?

#1 Scoring 200+ in 4 consecutive games

The team that Punjab Kings picked in the mega auction had one clear motive. It was to go after the bowling right from ball one. They brought in the required resources to do the job. The side either over-achieved or underachieved last season but remained unpredictable. PBKS course-corrected this issue to a large extent this season.

They became the first side to score 200+ in four successive games. The hallmark of these four games was none of their batters scored a century in this game yet they posted these tall scores. PBKS validated the new T20 template for everyone!

#2 Winning against MI and CSK in their den

The Mumbai Indians were the most successful team at home this season. But the Punjab Kings managed to upset the applecart even in Wankhede. Their lower middle order went berserk in the last 5 overs posting a score that eventually proved to be beyond MI.

Chennai has traditionally been a tough place for visiting teams. The Punjab teams of old weren’t the best players of spin but the batch of 2023 were different. PBKS beat CSK at their own game. They managed to chase down 200 in a day game thereby proving they are no pushovers.

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What were the misses?

#1 The bowling was found wanting

PBKS missed out on a playoff spot primarily owing to their bowling. The collective failure of their bowlers to step in a season where batters dominated saw them lose out on key moments. Arshdeep Singh who features in the tenth spot for the highest wicket-takers this season was way too expensive. Rahul Chahar was impressive but wasn’t picking enough wickets in the middle overs. 

#2 The form and absence of senior players 

Jonny Bairstow’s absence affected PBKS’ fortunes big time. The side commendably tried to overcome this but was caught short at times. Shikhar Dhawan’s untimely injury too didn’t help their cause. Kagiso Rabada looked like a pale shadow of himself this season. Sam Curran too would have liked to contribute a wee bit more as his incisiveness was missing in crunch situations. 

What’s in store for them next season?

The biggest positive for PBKS is the fact that unlike other teams their uncapped batters are their major strength. Prabhsimran Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Shahrukh Khan, and Atharv Taide all put their hands up on different occasions. If PBKS manages to extract the best of both worlds from its experienced pros and young talent, it will be a strong contender in the coming years.

Vignesh Rajagopal
Vignesh Rajagopalhttps://stumpsandbails.com/
I am a passionate cricket lover, who likes to express his views on the beautiful game and share insights and analysis about the finer aspects of the sport.

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