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Punjab Kings (PBKS) started their 2023 IPL campaign with a convincing victory over two-time IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium on Saturday, April 1.
Having posted 191/7 in their 20 overs, PBKS had KKR on the ropes at 146/7 in 16 overs when the weather intervened. The unrelenting rain meant that the match could not continue, and PBKS were declared winners by seven runs through the Duckworth-Lewis (D/L) method.
Left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh was adjudged the Player of the Match for his impressive spell of 3/19 in his four overs.
The Punjab franchise have been one of the most disappointing franchises in IPL history, with just one final appearance in 15 years. Despite boasting several big names, the side has made the playoffs just twice in their IPL tenure. They finished the 2022 season in sixth place, winning only seven out of their 14 matches.
Constant changes in the squad and the support staff have led to the team lacking continuity and consistency.
PBKS have released one of their key performers who also captained the side last year in Mayank Agarwal and replaced him with Shikhar Dhawan in the captaincy role. The franchise also made some shrewd picks at the mini-auction by bagging Sam Curran for ₹18.5 crores and Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza.
Punjab also made wholesome changes to their support staff by appointing Trevor Bayliss as their head coach in place of Anil Kumble. Bayliss, who formerly coached the 2011 Sri Lankan side to the final of the World Cup, was also the head coach of the Kolkata Knight Riders during their glorious title runs in 2012 and 2014.
PBKS made a solid start to their IPL campaign and corrected different aspects of the game in their first fixture against KKR.
On that note, we take a look at three areas where PBKS showed signs of improvement from a season ago.
# 1 PBKS have more variety and options in bowling
Sam Curran and Sikandar Raza have been arguably the two most outstanding performers in T20 cricket over the last year. Curran missed the IPL last year but returned for the ICC T20 World Cup and was the Player of the Tournament as he helped England win their second T20 World Cup title.
Meanwhile, Raza put up staggering numbers in T20Is last year, averaging 35 at a strike rate of 151 and picking up 25 wickets at an economy rate of just 17.68. He was also an integral part of the victorious Lahore Qalandars side in the recent Pakistan Super League (PSL), scoring 223 runs at a healthy average of 32 at an extraordinary strike rate of 180.
Punjab Kings have often lacked variety and depth in their bowling lineup. They faced similar issues in 2022 as the side often played with three or four specialist bowlers and other fringe options like Odean Smith and Liam Livingstone.
However, the inclusion of both Curran and Raza paid rich dividends in their opening match of IPL 2023, as it meant PBKS possessed as many as six specialist bowling options without the inclusion of the Impact player, Rishi Dhawan.
Along with depth, PBKS also had the variety in their attack that the side lacked last year. In the match against KKR, Punjab boasted left-arm pacers Arshdeep Singh and Sam Curran, an out-and-out-pace bowler in Nathan Ellis, a leg spinner in Rahul Chahar, a slow left-arm spinner in Harpreet Brar and an off-spinner in Sikandar Raza.
# 2 PBKS' batting in the middle overs
Punjab Kings posted a massive score of 191-7 in their opening match against the Kolkata Knight Riders. A key reason for that was their batting in the middle overs (between 7 and 15 overs). During that phase, PBKS scored 87 runs for the loss of just three wickets at a run rate of close to 10 runs per over.
This was on the back of a superb start where they scored 56/1 in the powerplay. Skipper Shikhar Dhawan and Sri Lankan left-hander Bhanuka Rajapaksa mixed singles with boundaries as they batted through most of the middle overs to ensure their run rate stayed above nine runs an over. Jitesh Sharma also continued the good work with 21 runs from 11 deliveries.
This was in stark contrast to PBKS' batting in the middle overs last year, as the side often lost their way between 7 to 15 overs. Punjab Kings scored just eight runs per over in the middle overs while losing close to four wickets last year. This meant they were often left to play catch-up in the death overs and fell short of the above-par totals.
# 3 PBKS' wickets in the powerplay
Punjab Kings had a dream start in the powerplay of their bowling innings as they picked up three wickets in the first five overs to effectively stifle KKR's run chase. After posting an impressive 191/7, PBKS reduced KKR to 29/3 in the fifth over of their innings.
In 2022, the lack of penetration in the powerplay was an issue, as they averaged picking up only 1.5 wickets in the first six overs. This meant that teams often set themselves up with wickets in hand to expose Punjab's lack of depth in bowling as the innings progressed.
Arshdeep Singh was the wrecker in chief as he picked up two wickets in his very first over to reduce KKR to 17-2 in two overs. He was complemented by Nathan Ellis, who picked up a wicket in the fifth over to further dent KKR.
