On Sunday, April 21, at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, Chandigarh, the Punjab Kings lost Match 37, their sixth loss of the Indian Premier League 2024 (IPL 2024), to the Gujarat Titans (GT) by three wickets. Punjab, who had chosen to bat first, were dismissed for just 142 runs in the 20 overs they were allowed, with Prabhsimran Singh scoring the most at 35 (21).
In response, Rahul Tewatia (36* off 18) and captain Shubman Gill (35* off 29) made significant contributions as Gujarat reached the goal in the final over. The most effective bowler for the home team was Harshal Patel, who finished with statistics of 3/15 in three overs. Despite their defeat, PBKS is still in second place in the standings after winning two of their past eight games to earn four points.
The Shikhar Dhawan-led team is in a dangerous position with only six league games remaining, and their normal captain’s absence due to a shoulder injury has made matters worse. Punjab now has four points; they need to win their next six games to end with sixteen, which should be sufficient for them to easily qualify for the playoffs.
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On the other hand, they will need to maintain a higher net run rate (NRR) than the other teams in the running if they lose even one game and earn 14 points. With an NRR of -0.292, Punjab is presently ranked third out of the 10 teams.
The Punjab Kings must prevail in every game they have left.
The next two games Punjab has are against the reigning champion Chennai Super Kings (CSK), first away and then at their second home ground, Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala. After that, the road gets even harder as Punjab plays the in-form Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) away from home.
After that, the 2014 runners-up will have a break from their challenging matches against the ailing Royal Challengers Bengaluru and the fierce Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), who are now atop the league. Punjab will now need to mount a spectacular league recovery, which may well start without their regular captain, given the number of challenging matches they have scheduled.
Remarkably, Punjab was last eliminated by KKR in the 2014 playoff final after qualifying for the postseason. In order to lead his team to a historic comeback in the tournament, Sam Curran, the interim captain, must motivate his players.
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