Mindless aggression, comical fielding could derail Kings XI Punjab’s season after good start

How do you lose a match in which you are at 55/0 in the eighth over chasing 133?

Well, if you didn’t know, Kings XI Punjab showed everyone how it’s done as their wheels came off in spectacular fashion. They were eventually bowled out 13 runs short of their target against the Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday.

Kings XI’s final total of 119 all out is the lowest by any side in the Indian Premier League after having a 50-run opening stand, according to the tournament’s website. Even after the Kings XI openers KL Rahul and Chris Gayle lost their wickets in the space of four deliveries, at 77/2 in 12 overs the match was still in Punjab’s hands.

From there, how Kings XI slipped to 96/7 – and then eventually to 119 all out – only their batsmen will know. There was no scoreboard pressure whatsoever, but going by some of the shots that their batsmen played, it seemed as if they had read their target wrong as 233 instead of 133. Was there an early-morning flight to catch? Or were some of their batsmen Arsenal fans who wanted to rush back to the hotel in time for the Europa League match?

One of those reasons might still be more forgivable than whatever the actual one was for Kings XI’s self-destruction. Yes, this wasn’t as bad as Mumbai Indians failing to chase 119 but if you’re a KXIP player or fan, that’s no reason to not be livid with what happened on Thursday evening .

Needless aggression

Funnily enough, Punjab captain R Ashwin did not think it was too much of a deal – at least going by the comments he made in the post-match press conference. “These things happen in this kind of a tournament,” he said.

That’s true, Ashwin, but only if you let them.

“Rashid Khan’s bowling made a lot of difference,” he added. Yes, the Afghan leg-spinner was excellent, taking 3/19 in his four overs, but your batsmen could have easily played him out given there was no scoreboard pressure. And what about the two wickets each your batsmen served on a platter to Sandeep Sharma, Basil Thampi and Shakib al Hasan?

Ashwin, the only bowler captain in the IPL this season, has got a lot of praise – and deservedly so – for some of his decision-making and tactics. He has used his bowlers really well and some of the decisions he has taken – whether it is at the toss or while deciding which bowler(s) to use in the death – have reaped rewards even though they were not the most conventional choices.

The team has also figured out the best way to utilise the services of the explosive but ageing Chris Gayle by giving him a rest when necessary. But perhaps KXIP need an experienced batsman to step up and advise them on how not to lose their cool in low-scoring matches.

Ashwin saying that KXIP “have been playing some attacking cricket and we’ll have to accept the results if they go the other way” is not surprising given who their director of cricket is. Virender Sehwag, in his day, would have done no different. But there was really no need to play attacking cricket when your team needed 56 runs from 48 balls with eight wickets in hand. Sometimes, you just need to buckle down and play out the overs, even in Twenty20 cricket.

Abysmal fielding

Loose batting is not the only concern for Punjab as they head into a week-long break before their next match, against Mumbai Indians on May 4. For all you know, Kings XI’s total of 119 would have been more than sufficient to beat the Sunrisers on Thursday had they taken their chances in the field.

As many as four catches were dropped by KXIP fielders – namely Ashwin, Andrew Tye, Mayank Agarwal and Shakib – last evening and that is criminal, regardless of the format. Manish Pandey, who went on to make a scrappy half-century for the Sunrisers, was the benefactor on three of the four occasions. In the end, his innings made all the difference.

KXIP could have been chasing a target in two figures had even a couple of those chances been grabbed and their sloppiness in the field has not been particular to Thursday’s match alone. Whether it’s catching, fielding or throwing, some of the efforts of Punjab’s players have been quite laughable and there have been no signs whatsoever that the team is working on it. Barinder Sran and Mujeeb Ur Rahman have been particularly woeful in the field this season, while Ashwin isn’t quite the captain who can lead by example in this area at least.

Ashwin admitted to this at least, saying his team “fielded pretty badly” and could have “restricted them to 20-30 runs fewer”. But then he repeated what he had said earlier: “It’s a long tournament and it’s important to keep your head up and moving forward. You do have bad games.”

Kings XI’s form this season prior to Thursday’s match could perhaps save them some scrutiny for losing only their second match out of seven played, but going into a long mid-season break they’ve got a lot to ponder over and work on. Kings XI have been one of the most consistent sides this season and their bowling is in good hands under the leadership of Ashwin, but it will be a real shame if they allow their campaign to derail because of unintelligent batting and poor fielding.