"They are a team who can beat the strongest sides" - Aakash Chopra on the Punjab Kings' emphatic win against the Chennai Super Kings

Aakash Chopra believes the Punjab Kings (PBKS) can get the better of the strongest sides. He also termed them as one of the favorites for IPL 2022.

Mayank Agarwal's side annihilated the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 54 runs in last night's Indian Premier League encounter. They have won two of their first three matches, with their only reversal coming against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

While reviewing the PBKS-CSK encounter in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra showered huge praise on the Punjab Kings. He said:

"Punjab Kings have registered another victory, two out of three. They have looked a different side, they have looked an explosive side, they have looked a destructive side, they are a team who can beat the strongest sides. They are in my list of favorites."

The former India cricketer was slightly surprised by the Punjab-based franchise opting not to field Jonny Bairstow in their playing XI. Chopra elaborated:

"You had Bairstow but you didn't play him, that was an interesting one because Bhanuka Rajapaksa is playing well but probably in place of Odean Smith, it would have been an extremely tempting option but they resisted the temptation."

PBKS might have opted to retain Bhanuka Rajapaksa in the playing XI because of his explosive knocks in their first two matches. Playing Bairstow instead of Odean Smith would have left them with limited bowling options.

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"Till the time Shikhar Dhawan was there, it was alright" - Aakash Chopra on the Punjab Kings' batting effort

Liam Livingstone and Shikhar Dhawan strung together a 95-run partnership [P/C: iplt20.com]

While naming Liam Livingstone as the star performer of the match, Aakash Chopra also had a word of praise for Shikhar Dhawan and Jitesh Sharma. He observed:

"They (PBKS) did not get off to a good start. Till the time Shikhar Dhawan was there, it was alright but once he got out, you get stuck because there is not that much depth in the batting. Jitesh Sharma - 26 runs off 17 balls but three sixes. This tournament is becoming something about the unknown Indian cricketers. It seemed at one point that they will reach 220 but in the end, they scored 180."

The reputed commentator concluded by asking the other IPL teams to be slightly wary of the Punjab Kings. Chopra reasoned:

"The good thing about Punjab is that when you play, play in such a way that you destroy everyone. They have started playing that cricket, it is enjoyable to watch. Mayank Agarwal has not scored runs and Shikhar Dhawan has not got the kind of runs he scores. The other teams will have to take care once they come in form."

The Punjab Kings next face the Gujarat Titans on April 8. It should be an exciting encounter, with both sides currently in the top four of the IPL 2022 points table.

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