Delhi Capitals vs. Punjab Kings (ANI Photo) DHARAMSHALA: Two weeks ago, Punjab Kings looked like a team nobody wanted to face. Six wins in seven games – the only blemish to be avenged – put them at the top of the points table, a clean run to the envy and swagger that suggested the play-offs were just a formality.Fast forward and four straight defeats have them in fourth place with 13 points from 11 games with a net rate of +0.428.
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Punjab Kings coach Sairaj Bahutule explains what went wrong against Delhi CapitalsThe slide was as sudden as it was careless. Failure to defend 222 against Rajasthan Royals, followed by a sloppy batting display against Gujarat Titans where they made just 163 and were caught by GT, then crumbled under Sunrisers Hyderabad’s massive score of 235 and now the latest heartbreak: losing by three wickets to Delhi Capitals in Dharamshala even after scoring.What looked like a parade to Qualifier 1 now requires perfection in the last three matches – against Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at home in Dharamshala and then Lucknow Super Giants away.Captain Shreyas Iyer did not mince words after DC’s defeat. “I wouldn’t have to beat around the bush,” he said. “I’d say the fielding and bowling let us down again. 210 was 30 runs more on that wicket, considering the way the ball was shaping and the way the bounce was changing.”And Iyer is right. Fielding has become Punjab’s recurring nightmare. They have made 19 catches this season, the most of any team, including two more against DC on Monday. In 11 games, their catch success rate is a dismal 71.43 per cent – joint worst with Chennai Super Kings.Spin-bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule acknowledged the rot after the match against Delhi. “We’re dropping catches at crucial times. We’ll certainly look at those areas and see how we can turn it around for us,” he said. “Making big changes to the side won’t be the solution (to stop the slide). Everyone has done well at some point in the tournament. We will improve.”Bowling has also lost its bite. In the Dharamshala game, leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal – the IPL’s highest wicket-taker – was outrighted for only the fourth time in his 185-match IPL career. Bahutule explained it as a “tactical call on the connecting track”.
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Iyer, on his part, added: “The way the ball was seaming and helping the seamers, I think if we could have executed our lines and lengths in a precise manner, we could have got wickets with just the seamers. But unfortunately we didn’t.”However, Bahutule is not yet ready to hit the panic button. “We’ve started really well and yes we’ve lost the last four games but we’re still in the race to qualify,” he said. “All we have to do is put these (last four games) aside and move forward and play the next three games as best we can. It’s an up-and-down tournament and we have to focus on the road ahead.”“Everyone is disappointed, but you really can’t overthink or overanalyze things. It is very important to learn from the losses and look at the positives. We will look at these strengths and move on to the next challenge,” he added.
