Kings kneel at home

Diligence is the mother of good luck, but the Punjab Kings were not diligent enough to defend their lowest-ever total in IPL season, losing Qualifier-I by eight wickets to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). This defeat cost the Kings a direct ticket to the final, but they still have a second chance to make their dream a reality by facing the winner of the Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans clash in Qualifier-II on June 1 in Ahmedabad.

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Playing at their home ground, the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) International Stadium, the Kings delivered a dismal performance, getting bowled out for just 101 runs. This was not the first time the Kings’ batters struggled; they had previously posted their lowest total of 111 against Kolkata Knight Riders at the same venue during the league stage. Unfortunately for the Kings, RCB’s batters were aggressive and quickly ended Punjab’s hopes of reaching the final.

‘Salt’ on Kings wounds

Chasing 101, RCB lost two wickets but Phil Salt’s explosive 56 runs off 27 balls, including six boundaries and three sixes, left no chance for a Kings’ comeback. Salt opened the innings with Virat Kohli, and the duo scored 30 runs in the first three overs. Kohli was dismissed by Kyle Jamieson, who had a brief moment of joy for the Kings as he took out Mayank Aggarwal three times in the same over. However, Salt remained solid, and with Rajat Patidar’s support, RCB secured a comfortable win in just 10 overs.

The ‘101’ Kill

The Kings batting lineup collapsed like a house of cards, with only Krunal Pandya managing to avoid a wicket from RCB’s bowlers. Despite being labeled a batting-heavy side, the Kings innings ended at a mere 101 runs, with RCB bowlers taking full advantage of the fast pitch. Leg-spinner Suyash Sharma took 3 wickets for 17 runs, while Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar contributed significantly to the Kings downfall. The Kings’ steep decline began when in-form opener Priyansh Arya was caught at cover off Dayal. His opening partner, Prabhsimran Singh, followed soon after, and captain Shreyas Iyer was dismissed for a duck. Had it not been for Marcus Stoinis’s 26 runs, the Kings could have ended up with their lowest-ever IPL total. Sharma ultimately wrapped up the innings by taking out Stoinis, Shashank Singh (3), and Musheer Khan (0).