Atreyo Mukhopadhyay
Shahrukh Khan the hero
Why hold Shahrukh Khan back till that late? He is a specialist batter who can do more than just the finisher’s role. He has played up the order for his state, and scored runs. Yes, Tamil Nadu have been guilty of pushing him lower down the order, but he deserves better. In their last match, it was a 9-ball 22 in a losing cause. Against Lucknow Super Giants, it was his 10-ball 23 from No. 8 which eventually won finished off a chase that wobbled several times. He is a massive striker of the ball, but not just a mere slogger. Push him up the order, give him more balls to play and he will win you more matches. That first-ball six off Mark Wood was phenomenal. Add in those three special catches on the fence. Here is a champion.
Raza’s day at last
Sikandar Raza is one of the most understated players. He can score runs, and stop them with the ball in his hand. This was his day. The player born in Pakistan who plays for Zimbabwe was more than alright with his right-arm off-breaks when Lucknow batted, and he then anchored the chase for the Punjab Kings. Not quite a destroyer of the cricket ball, he can hit it effectively and intelligently to different corners of the field with good effect. He was on song today, when his team needed him to be. One of the guys who will not always attract attention, he can get the job done in his own way. He showed in Lucknow why these things are said of him. A low-cost buy, he will add much value to his team.
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Rabada turned the match
The 15th over of the Lucknow innings was perhaps the turning point of this game. They were 108-2 after 14 and proceeding towards something really substantial at that stage. Krunal Pandya was keeping KL Rahul company and the run-rate was not that bad. Then came Kagiso Rabada. It was a sensational over. Sparks did not fly, nor did the stumps, but the game turned on its head. Rabada got rid of Pandya and the dangerous Nicholas Pooran for a first-ball duck to bring his team right back into this game. The over cost just three runs and pegged Lucknow back. The impetus the home team seemed to be was lost, and Punjab Kings were very much back in it.
A few strange calls
Why hold back Marcus Stoinis or Pooran until so late? Surely, they can bat above Pandya who came in at No. 4. They are Lucknow’s in-form players, who made stellar contributions in the previous match, against Royal Challengers Bangalore. To push them down the order and deny them the chance to have a longer look at the bowling was a bit baffling. Why have them in the side when you are not letting them face more deliveries? Pandya scored 18 off 17, after Deepak Hooda made a three-ball two batting at No. 3. Stoinis and Pooran had blasted the attack out of the park in pursuit of 213 in Lucknow’s previous match. Holding them back against Punjab appeared to be a bad move.