“Their vehicle is always in 5th gear, they refuse to shift down to 4th gear” - Pragyan Ojha on Punjab Kings’ strategy in IPL 2022

Pragyan Ojha reckons that Punjab Kings’ (PBKS) progress in IPL 2022 has suffered due to their refusal to tone down their over-aggressive approach with the bat. The former Indian spinner added that most of the franchise’s problems in the ongoing edition are self-created.

PBKS were touted as one of the strongest contenders to lift the IPL 2022 trophy. They started their campaign in impressive fashion, but have slipped badly since then. Punjab are presently in eighth position in the points table with only four wins from nine games.

The Mayank Agarwal-led outfit will take on table-toppers Gujarat Titans (GT) in a crucial IPL 2022 encounter at the DY Patil Stadium on Tuesday, 3 May. Previewing the match, Ojha urged the Punjab Kings to learn from their mistakes. Speaking on Cricbuzz, he explained:

“Punjab’s problem is that they play just one way. Their vehicle is always in fifth gear, they refuse to shift down to fourth gear, even if there is a wall in front or if the vehicle is broken. They need to play as per the game situation. They were strong contenders for the title this year and their problems are self-created.”

Punjab have lost three of their last five matches. In their last game, they went down to the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by 20 runs. Chasing 154, they were restricted to 133 for eight.

---

“They are not better than him” - Ajay Jadeja bats for Shahrukh Khan’s return to Punjab Kings’ playing XI

According to former Indian batter Ajay Jadeja, PBKS must bring back big-hitter Shahrukh Khan into the playing XI. He claimed that while players who have replaced him are reasonably talented, they are not better than him. He said:

“With due respect to the Indian players in the PBKS squad who have replaced Shahrukh Khan, they are not better than him. They should bring Shahrukh back. This team has the players but they are not utilizing their talent properly.”

With Shahrukh failing to deliver, Punjab Kings have brought in all-rounder Rishi Dhawan in the last couple of matches. Batting for Shahrukh’s return, Jadeja suggested that Jonny Bairstow could open the innings and also keep wickets instead of Jitesh Sharma while Mayank Agarwal could move into the middle order.

---