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The 11th match of IPL 2024 saw Shikhar Dhawan's Punjab Kings (PBKS) going down against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at Ekana stadium on March 30. Put to bowl first, Punjab Kings started strong, dismissing openers KL Rahul and Devdutt Padikkal cheaply. However, Quinton de Kock steadied the Lucknow ship with a well-paced half-century. Later, aggressive knocks from Nicholas Pooran and Krunal Pandya propelled Lucknow to a competitive total of 199/8.
Chasing a challenging target, Shikhar Dhawan and Jonny Bairstow provided a glimmer of hope for Punjab Kings with a brilliant opening partnership. Their impressive knocks took the team past 100 runs within 11 overs.
The momentum seemed to be firmly with Punjab Kings at one stage. However, their chase fell short as they were restricted to 178/5, thanks to Mayank Yadav's blistering spell, which saw LSG winning the match by 21 runs. The young speedster consistently clocked over 150 kmph and picked up three crucial wickets to derail Punjab's chase. Meanwhile, Punjab Kings captain Shikhar Dhawan, was seen visibly disappointed at the post-match presentation, as said Liam Livingtone's injury cost PBKS the match against LSG. Notably, Livingstone pulled his hamstring in the fourth over during LSG's batting, which also saw him walking off the field. However, he came back bat, but couldn't make an impact.
Shikhar Dhawan rues Liam Livingstone's injury
“They played well, pity that Livi (Livingstone) got injured, that hurt us, he would have come at 4,” Dhawan said after PBKS' defeat.
Meanwhile, Dhawan was left in awe of Mayank Yadav's raw pace. He admitted to being surprised by the debutant's performance. He revealed his strategy during the chase, stating that he instructed Jonny Bairstow and Jitesh Sharma to capitalise on Mayank's pace by playing aggressive shots. Unfortunately, their execution fell short.
Dhawan in awe of pace sensation Mayank Yadava
“We started off well, but Mayank bowled well with his pace. It was nice facing him, I was surprised at his pace, but I wanted to use his pace against him, but he bowled the bouncers and the yorkers well.
“I was quite mindful, asked the batters to use the short side and use his pace, but he bowled into his body (on Bairstow’s dismissal) and got him OUT, I said the same to Jitesh as well,” Dhawan added.
Acknowledging the need for improvement, Dhawan also emphasised the importance of analysing their losses and formulating better strategies for upcoming matches. He also took partial responsibility for the defeat, acknowledging dropped catches as a contributing factor.
“But Mohsin bowled really well, he kept a good length and suffocated us. We will have to analyse these defeats, the drop catch did cost us some momentum. That’s something we’ll have to improve going forward,” Dhawan concluded.
Punjab Kings, who were off to a flier with an emphatic win against Delhi Capitals in their opening match, suffered back to back defeats in their next two games. Despite boasting a talented squad on paper, Dhawan's team needs to find solutions quickly to avoid another disappointing finish in the lower half of the points table.
PBKS will next face Gujarat Titans (GT) on April 4 in Ahmedabad while LSG will take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru on April 2 respectively.
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