Punjab Kings are officially eliminated from the IPL 2024 playoff race after losing to Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 60 runs at HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala. They lost again because they performed poorly under pressure, and in order to resume their winning ways, they must make certain improvements. Bengaluru, in contrast, won easily because they were clinical, had the ideal game plan, and carried it out effectively.
Virat Kohli gave the visitors a brilliant start as he batted first. But things quickly turned around when Rajat Patidar entered the batting order after taking two quick wickets from Will Jacks and Faf du Plessis. The momentum shifted when the 30-year-old hammered 55 runs off just 23 runs. Kohli seized command of the situation after making 92 runs off 47 balls after making his way back to the pavilion. Cameron Green was outstanding in the latter stages, assisting RCB in amassing an enormous 241 runs.
While Jonny Bairstow and Rilee Rossouw appeared to be invincible, PBKS lost Prabhsimran Singh early in the chase. But after injuring himself in the middle at one stage, Bairstow was out for 27 runs off just 16 balls. Eventually, Rossouw made 61 runs off of 27 balls after persevering. Following his removal, RCB easily won the match as wickets tumbled like a house of cards. For RCB, Mohammed Siraj and Swapnil Singh were fantastic with the ball.
1. King Kohli is the absolute
It will ultimately be too late if you are unable to halt Virat in his tracks. That’s what the Punjab Kings experienced in Dharamshala. The brilliant Indian hitter took control and appeared perfect once he was settled in. His approach was selfless, and he maintained a solid strike rate, something that has garnered a lot of attention recently, even though he missed his century.
2. Enjoy the splendour of Patidar
Many supporters of the team demanded that Suyash Prabhudesai be included in the playing XI in place of Patidar during the tournament’s early stages, when Patidar was having severe difficulties. Still, the management continued to have faith in Patidar, who has been delivering consistently. The 30-year-old altered the RCB’s momentum against Punjab, which proved crucial at one point. It is noteworthy that Patidar demonstrated once more why he is the ideal middle-order player for RCB.
Also read: IPL 2024: Punjab Kings 2nd innings highlights against RCB in Match 58
3. PBKS’s sixth home defeat
Home games are crucial for success in a tournament such as the Indian Premier League, particularly given the circumstances. In contrast, PBKS dropped six of their seven IPL 2024 home games. Against RCB, they never seemed at ease in the middle and could not muster any victories. Should everything proceed as planned, another PBKS revamp is anticipated.
Losing skipper Sam Curran said:
A lot of positive signs throughout the season, but not enough to get over the line unfortunately. We knew that we had the best side for the rest of the tournament and feel gutted for the team. Gotta keep our heads up, keep learning and keep becoming better. Really enjoyed leading a great bunch of guys, would have loved a few more wins. We had some highs, and some record run-chases as well,. Lots of disappointment and apologize to the fans, we will keep fighting. The ups and downs have been quite tough, but you gotta keep learning and keep working hard.
Winning skipper Faf du Plessis said:
That was a good game. We have scored 200-plus in the last 5-6 games. We have had good conversations, we were making the same mistakes over and over again. Needed aggression with the bat. We just spoke about taking wickets. We have 6-7 options in the bowling department. You need some form in your side. With a bit of luck is also required. We had a few guys looking for wickets and runs at the start of the tournament.
The boys have shown character to turn it around. Everyone has chipped in with runs and the bowlers are taking wickets. For us it’s important to focus on ourselves.We want to stick to the style of play that we want to do, if we do that it’ll prove we are a really good team.
POTM Virat Kohli said:
For me it’s still quality over quantity. For me it works really well. Also the understanding of the game allows you to practice less, just try to replicate that. It’s an evolving process. I brought out the slogsweep against the spinners. I didn’t practice it, I know I have hit it the past. Always looking to expose that side of the field against spin. It needs a bit of conviction. I have been managing to stay ahead of that thought. I am trying to keep up with the strike rate for me and the team.
The only way to go through a tournament is to be honest with ourselves. We had those losses on the trot, we just had a honest conversation. We needed to pull up our socks. That game against KKR went down to the wire. We wanted to play for our self respect. We just can’t go out there and play in such a way and disappoint our fans. The confidence is back and we are on a roll. We have to depend of several other factors.
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