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The PBKS core that keeps on giving
In Prabhsimran, Priyansh, Nehal and Shashank have Punjab Kings unearthed an exhilarating uncapped Indian batting group
Kolkata: For a while #Travishek flirted with the imagination, almost busting the myth that 300 is unachievable in T20. With time however Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya have captured that place and set the bar higher. Fearless and relentless, they boast hitting ranges that have sent teams into a tizzy. Shashank Singh has done exceptionally well to be mentioned in the same breath, and now Nehal Wadhera is redefining the role of the floater. All uncapped, all with strike rates well north of 150, Indian T20 potential hasn’t looked this exhilarating before.
That it has assimilated at Punjab Kings of all teams feels a little odd considering they have rarely thought long term when it came to team building exercises in the past. But here they are, flaunting the most explosive set of uncapped Indian hitters. Few other teams have thrilled like Punjab Kings. At Gujarat Titans, Sai Sudharsan bats in the old school mould and is heavily reliant on boundaries while Shahrukh Khan has the shots but rarely bats long enough. Too many franchises rely too much on overseas batters at crucial positions but Punjab have intentionally gone the other way, with the results to show.
To score over 200 for a record-equalling sixth time in a single IPL season is a record to be proud of, even more when it’s entirely Indian driven while not compromising on the ideals of T20. Three wickets down in the Powerplay, you really can’t afford to dream of finishing with 219. But Punjab Kings have been operating with a different template that doesn’t tell it to stop. Which is why on the third ball of his innings Wadhera didn’t hold himself back from pulling Fazalhaq Farooqi for a six. Wonderful against spin, he neither let Riyan Parag nor Wanindu Hasaranga apply the brakes on Punjab’s scoring.
“Talks have been pretty clear,” Wadhera said during the break between innings. “No matter what the situation is, you need to punish the loose ball. That is what we have been doing, and that is the only reason we have been scoring above 200. That is the positive mindset among all the team-mates that is helping us cross the line every time.”
Compared to Wadhera, Shashank can be a slow starter. But when he gets going, the rate of conversion can be scintillatingly high. Batting on 10 off seven balls, Shashank converted the next 23 balls for 49. That’s a strike rate of over 200 at a time Punjab Kings were five wickets down.
Shashank is no overnight talent. He is a proper IPL journeyman, travelling from Delhi Daredevils (2017) to Rajasthan Royals (2019-21) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (2022) before joining Punjab Kings. Wadhera has been with Mumbai Indians before this stint. There have been sporadic signs of the brute power that make them so dangerous but never a sustained show like this. Not just selection, this sort of batting never flourishes without the right amount of backing. Someone of the stature of Ricky Ponting knows that.
“I actually said to him (Wadhera) at one of the timeouts that because you’re so good, you can find a way to score runs, be out there in a partnership, and you ended up putting on 67 off 44 balls,” Ponting was quoted as saying by PBKS.
Not mentioning Shreyas Iyer, however, would be a disservice to the strain of thought that has brought together these hitters so seamlessly. No other Indian has hit as many sixes (27) as Iyer in this IPL. The strike rate of 174.69 is second only to Arya (190.37) which is extraordinary when you factor in that Iyer hasn’t always got the advantage of the powerplay fielding settings.
He set the ball rolling with that unbeaten 97 against Gujarat Titans at a strike rate of 230.95, following it up with a 26-ball 82 against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Not just scoring quickly, Iyer has stood out this season because of his intent to make opposition bowlers scratch their heads. That attitude has rubbed on to the rest, slowly making Punjab Kings the team to beat this season.
