The Royal Challengers Bangalore made history by returning to the IPL finals after a 9-year drought. They dominated the Punjab Kings, winning by 8 wickets. This qualifier match was a home game for the Punjab Kings, but they still suffered a massive loss. Their batting and bowling were both subpar. Here are three key reasons why Punjab lost:
Aggressive Play Backfired
The first qualifier match took place at the Mullanpur stadium, where the average score for teams batting first in the IPL is around 170 runs. The pitch is considered balanced for both batting and bowling, with no extremely high scores. However, Punjab’s batsmen played as if they were aiming for 200+ runs. Most of their wickets fell due to reckless shots or trying to play too aggressively.
Toss Trouble
Punjab Kings’ captain, Shreyas Iyer, admitted that he would have chosen to bowl first if he had won the toss. The pitch had a lot of grass, and the dew factor in the evening played a significant role. Even if Punjab had managed to score 170-180 runs, defending it would have been tough due to the dew.
Cluster of Wickets
In T20 matches, a team can build a big score if their batsmen can maintain small partnerships. However, Punjab’s batting lineup failed miserably. They lost 3 wickets in quick succession after scoring just 27 runs. Later, they lost 3 more wickets in an 18-run span, further weakening their position.