IPL 2021 | Top 4 hold key as rebranded Punjab Kings continue their search for maiden title - Preview

If not of that level of past champions or even for that matter Royal Challengers Bangalore, Punjab Kings, formerly known as Kings XI Punjab, have created that bit of a thrill heading into any Indian Premier League season. Along with the RCB, they are the only existing IPL franchise to have not lifted the trophy. Much like the Red ad Gold brigade, they too have provided glimpses of excellence, have reached the IPL final, but on most occasions, Punjab tend to lose their rhythm and cause and subsequently rolls out of focus as the season unravels.

Heading into IPL 2021, the franchise has rebranded itself, added new personnel, with hope for a change of fortunes, but from what it looks like, their issues from the previous season, where they had finished sixth, continue to remain the same. 

A TOP-HEAVY LINEUP

One area that has hurt Punjab in recent times is their batting beyond the top 4. In 2020, Punjab's top-4, comprising skipper KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle and Nicolas Pooran, had recorded the best BASRA (a T20 metric which is a summation of the strike rate and the average used to determine the consistency and aggression of a batsman/batsmen). Punjab's dismissal rate was the second-best after Sunrisers Hyderabad and their average combined score per game and frequency of boundaries were the best across the entire tournament. 

Three of those batters fell in the bracket of high-performing top-order batters (at least faced 100 deliveries last season), with a BASRA of getter than 167 (median value) and boundary rate of below 5.7 (also, media value). Pooran and Mayank were the most effective with a BASRA of above 190 and frequency of boundaries being well less than 5, followed by Gayle.

However, Punjab's lower-order (5 to 7) were the least effective among all teams with an average combined score of 29 and boundary rate of 9, nearly half of the top-placed side on either list. 

In a bid to tackle the issue, Punjab released big-hitting Glenn Maxwell who failed to fire last season and roped in Tamil Nadu batsman Shahrukh Khan along with West Indies all-rounder Fabian Allen and Australia's Moises Henriques. Punjab also have an Indian option in all-rounder Deepak Hooda, who has a death-over strike rate of 148.9 since 2018 IPL. 

THE KL RAHUL PUNJAB NEEDS

Punjab's poor middle-order lineup had probably urged Rahul to take the role of an anchor and bat cautiously and deep into the innings, often until the death overs. The cautious batting had even led to criticism over his strike rate, which further escalated as Rahul failed to make the most of his long innings. 

Punjab need Rahul to return to his best-ever T20 form that the skipper had achieved in 2018, a form often considered epitomising for T20 openers. The difference was his fearless approach, implied by his strike rate and frequency of boundaries struck. In all three seasons since 2018, Rahul has averaged close to 54, but while his strike rate was an impressive 158.4 in 2018, it dropped to 135.4 and 129.3 in the two subsequent seasons. 

CAN PUNJAB FIT IN MALAN? 

Maybe. England's Dawid Malan is presently the No.1 ranked T20I batsman, having scored 1003 runs in 24 matches at 50.1 with a strike rate of 144.3. Since 2019, only two players have scored 500 or more T20I runs at an average of more than 50 and with a strike rate greater than 140 - Virat Kohli (992 runs) and Malan (753 runs). However, in T20 cricket, his average and strike rate drops to 33.4 and 130.8 respectively. 

Dawid Malan

The only way for Punjab to make way for Malan will be to rest Gayle, another left-handed batsman although with superior numbers. But Malan, who is a natural anchor, might give Rahul the opportunity to return to his 2018 best. 

WHAT ABOUT THEIR DEATH-OVER BOWLING?

Punjab's economy rate of 12.06 in the final four overs, recorded last season, was only better than Rajasthan Royals' 12.21, the only two sides to concede over 12 during that phase. They had roped in Chris Jordan, a T20 specialist for that phase, but the English bowler leaked close to 12 runs an over in the nine innings he bowled.

Although Jordan was retained, Punjab addressed the issue by roping in pacers Australian speedsters Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith, who have a death-over economy rate of 9.24 and 8.7 respectively since 2019 with an identical strike rate of 11. 

WHERE ARE THE OFF-SPINNERS? 

Punjab have two in-form leg-spinners in Ravi Bishnoi and Murugan Ashwin, both of whom have a high possibility of featuring in the first XI. But they have no able replacement, especially after having released Krishnappa Gowtham. However, they did rope in all-rounder Jalaj Saxena, an off-spinner. They also have two left-arm spinners in Allen and Harpreet Brar. 

COMBINATIONS APLENTY

The usual top 4 with Shahrukh Khan and Hooda as their finishers is among the many batting combinations that Punjab can opt. The two new Australian pacers with Shami and the two leggies can subsequently wrap up the playing XI. In another possibility, Allen can be replaced by Meredith and can be pushed to the No.5 spot. Punjab can also look to work out a combination wherein, Allen replaces Gayle which will subsequently provide a bowling depth to the lineup. 

Predicted XI: Rahul, Mayank, Gayle/Allen, Pooran, Shahrukh, Hooda, Jhye, Meredith, Bishnoi, M Ashwin, Shami.