The Punjab Kings (PBKS) seemed set for imminent defeat in their opening match against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in their opening match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) after they conceded 205/2 but they ended up chasing down the target with an entire over to spare. Former batsman Virender Sehwag opined that PBKS look like the one batting lineup that can chase down targets in excess of 200 consistently based on how they performed in this match.
“The thing about Punjab was that they concede 200 a lot but make 200 very rarely. But today they conceded and made 200. So maybe the the departure of those players who shoot themselves in the foot has helped them," said Sehwag on Cricbuzz, referring to the rather spectacular defeats that the team suffered in the last two seasons.
None of the PBKS batters scored a half century and yet, they put up a total of 208/5 in just 19 overs. Sehwag reserved special praise for Sri Lanka's Bhanuka Rajapaksha, who scored 43 off 22 balls coming at No.3. Rajapaksha is expected to continue in the role and play as their wicketkeeper until England's Jonny Bairstow joins the team.
“If there is any team can chase 200 this year, that seems to Punjab. The way Smith and Shahrukh Khan played, (Liam) Livingstone before them and Mayank, Shikhar and Rajapaksha before that. I didn't think that Rajapaksha would play like that. Yes, you play in Sri Lanka but it's different here with the pressure,” said Sehwag.
{{/usCountry}}“If there is any team can chase 200 this year, that seems to Punjab. The way Smith and Shahrukh Khan played, (Liam) Livingstone before them and Mayank, Shikhar and Rajapaksha before that. I didn't think that Rajapaksha would play like that. Yes, you play in Sri Lanka but it's different here with the pressure,” said Sehwag.
{{/usCountry}}“They all scored around 40 in about 20-24 balls. Contributions came from everyone. So if any batting order looks capable of chasing down 200, it is this batting order.”