NEWS
Follow UsFor the 10th season in a row, Punjab Kings (PBKS) have failed to make it through to the playoffs. They finished ninth in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, winning just five of their 14 matches. It is indeed worrying for PBKS as they have performed poorly on a consistent basis over the years.
PBKS director of cricket Sanjay Bangar reckons that their poor home form, the loss of key players, and not being able to close out a few close matches eventually cost his side.
“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 after PBKS' five-wicket loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Hyderabad on May 19 (Sunday).
“The four games we lost back-to-back through mid-season, all of them home matches, and the two close games we lost, hurt us. In some matches which 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.”
Bangar, however, felt there were some positives this season. “If you look at the performances of the domestic batsmen Prabhsimran Singh, Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma, those are the real positives for us as far as our season goes in the batting department," the 51-year-old added.
Bangar further stressed that a combination of injuries and English players pulling out to be available for their country for T20 World Cup preparations, too, did not help his team's cause.
“When we went to the auction, the ECB [England & Wales Cricket Board] had made it clear that all the players will be available. It is just that it so happens that the tournament got slightly extended, I would say, because of multiple reasons. Everybody were in a similar position but we lost those English players,” he said.
“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.
“That hurt us but that is not the sole reason why our season was below par.”
PBKS succumbed to a comprehensive defeat on Sunday despite putting up 214/5 on the board. They also got the dangerous Travis Head out first ball but could not capitalise on it.
“We could not contain them after having the wicket of Travis Head first ball. We could have bowled a little bit better," Bangar said.
“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.”
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