Punjab Kings in action before their match against Lucknow Super Giants
Punjab Kings will take on the table-toppers Gujarat Titans on Tuesday at DY Patil Stadium, Mumbai as they aim to secure a position in the playoffs. The debutants Gujarat Titans have defied all odds and are known to turn around tables in death overs of the match.
With more than half the season done and the team positioned at the lower half of the points table, the Kings still have a chance to bounce back and move ahead in the game.
Here are four ways by which PBKS can reach the IPL Playoffs
- Win at least four out of the remaining five matches
Punjab Kings currently ranks eighth on the points table. With nine other teams in the competition, it is difficult for Punjab to secure their spot in the top four if they continue lagging. In this edition of IPL, all the teams are divided into two groups and will each play a total number of 14 matches. If a team wants to secure a place in playoffs, then it should win at least score 16 runs. Therefore, Punjab needs to win four of the remaining games to acquire eight more points. However, to insure themselves from the risk of a low Net Run Rate, they should aim to win all the remaining five matches. The team has so far, never won back-to-back games in nine matches.
- Focus on Net Run Rate
Punjab's NRR currently is -0.470 which is the third-lowest among the squads. Teams that have lesser run rates are Mumbai Indians with -0.836 and Royal Challengers Bangalore with -0.558. Even if the Mayank Agarwal-led team makes a competitive score of 16, it can be on par with other teams who have better net run rates. Punjab should not only win the upcoming matches but also try to win them with larger margins.
- Competitors in the race should lose their remaining games
Considering the current statistics, Mumbai is virtually out of this year's tournament and Gujarat needs to win only one more out of the upcoming five games to lock its place in playoffs. With probably three more spots left, the competition is going to be cut-throat. And the combination of Punjab's performance and its competitors losing their matches is the only possible way to yield results for the side.
- Fix the problem of an unfixed batting approach
The team is trying all permutations and combinations in its batting approach. While the team's bowlers like Arshdeep Singh, Kagiso Rabada, and Rahul Chahar have been able to fulfil the fan's and franchise's expectations, the fluctuating playing XI and the problem of not sticking to either defensive or offensive approach have proved to be troublesome for the team.
“I think we just kept losing wickets. We had batsmen who were set and we kept getting out. So many soft dismissals for us. It is disappointing and we have to face the truth. We didn’t bat well enough and we were below par with the bat. The new ball was doing a bit, seaming around and there was some bounce, it was a crucial period and after that, it did get better to bat on,” said skipper Agarwal after a match between PBKS and LSG.
Punjab has its remaining matches on 7th May against Rajasthan Royals, on 13th May against Royal Challengers Bangalore, on 16th May against Delhi Capitals, and on 22nd May against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
