Chandigarh: Like any other team in the Indian Premier League, Punjab Kings should be happy to be playing Qualifier 1 at home in Mullanpur. Local conditions do matter, and though PBKS have two wins and losses each in Mullanpur, the team management will be happy playing here.
Unless of course the Virat Kohli factor comes into play and the Punjab fans come dressed in RCB shirts and cheer for Kohli. PBKS pacer Arshdeep Singh is conscious of that possibility as he appealed to the Punjab fans to support the home team on Thursday. The PBKS-RCB game in Mullanpur last month saw spectators vocally supporting RCB and Virat. Some even jeered a few PBKS players and their families.
PBKS have reached the playoffs after 11 years. They will be playing in Mullanpur after 38 days and would want a pitch with extra bounce which their tall fast bowlers can exploit. They have had a great momentum throughout the tournament with the Shreyas Iyer-Ricky Ponting partnership lifting a franchise that had struggled in the last decade. Ponting though says the job is only half done.
Speaking to the broadcaster after Monday’s win over Mumbai Indians in the last league game, Ponting said, “We have not achieved anything yet” with the “big games” still to come. “A lot of hard work goes into being able to achieve something like this as a team. It is pretty obvious that this is a really talented team that are all on the same page. It’s a great achievement till now, but really, if you look back, we’ve not achieved anything yet. That’s the one thing I have been saying to the players since the moment we qualified.”
Ponting and Shreyas renewed their partnership in PBKS this season having worked together in Delhi Capitals and it has clicked.
“The vision for me was always to finish in the top two, and we have got there now. It is a really happy group and we have enjoyed our time in each other’s company for the last ten weeks, but we have got another week to go,” said Ponting with an eye on winning a maiden IPL trophy. This could be the best chance for PBKS considering their performances with domestic cricketers making a mark.
Openers Prabhsimran Singh and rookie Priyansh Arya have laid the platform for Iyer and Josh Inglis to build on. Shashank Singh continues to improve as a finisher, while Marcus Stoinis and Nehal Wadhera too have provided batting depth.
The bowling has been dealt a blow with the departure of South Africa fast bowler Marco Jansen – he took 16 wickets, complementing Arshdeep (18). Jansen has left for national duty with the Proteas playing Australia in the World Test Championship final from June 11.
Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, who missed the last two games due to a finger injury, is expected to return and team up with the accurate Harpreet Brar. It was Chahal’s four-wicket haul which helped PBKS beat KKR in a low-scoring game in Mullanpur.
However, Iyer’s captaincy has provided stability in the team, the India batter delivering after being bought for a whopping ₹26.75 crore.
“If you speak to the players individually, Shreyas has spent a lot of time with them. He has pumped them up, given them a pat on the back when they needed it, and given them a kick in the pants when they’ve needed it as well. That is a sign of a good and strong leader,” Ponting said. PBKS has had 16 captains before Iyer took over, and they will hope the man who led KKR to last year’s title will repeat it with them.
A defeat won’t be the end of the road. The losers will play in Qualifier 2, against the winner of the Eliminator.
RCB come off an impressive final league win on Tuesday against Lucknow Super Giants with Jitesh Sharma finding his touch like the other batters after his brilliant, unbeaten 85 off 33 balls.
