PBKS Batting Woes: Power-Packed or Just Predictable?

It’s not often that a T20 side made up of all-around big-hitters struggles to even get a competitive score line. But if you’ve been following Punjab Kings (PBKS) this IPL season, you must have had that feeling more than once. A team with destructive batsmen up top and finishers who literally can hit into orbit, yet often, the innings finish up like a damp squib, not a bang. So, what is the problem? Is it the pitch? Bad luck? Or could it be a little deeper than that lack of variety in their batting lineup?

Let’s take a look at the recent collapse under a quality spin attack and work our way towards ‘Plan A’ just not being enough for a format that offers so much more.

The Comfort Zone Conundrum

One of the most astute points made in the expert review after the match was this: being aggressive is not doing something outside one’s comfort zone — it is the comfort zone for many contemporary T20 batters. And therein lies what PBKS may well be doing wrong.

Players like Prabhsimran Singh and others often take the aggressive path from ball one, taking the approach of head down and bang it where it works. But when wickets start to tumble and the scoreboard screams a reset, that is when the incapacity to adapt rises sharply. One can’t just hit! As one of the experts said very succinctly, sometimes just taking two balls to assess the pitch is the true marker of maturity, not swinging for the hills.

Top-Heavy Tactics and the Missing Middle Glue

Another major issue is PBKS’s batting order. The top four, particularly the first two, are always instructed to go hard (fair enough), but if two or three fall cheaply, then you want your numbers 5, 6, and 7 to get on the pitch and play smart, rather than also continuing this desperate play.

Sanjay Bangar made a great point in the discussion: the players in the middle need to be adaptable and execute different games. But PBKS doesn’t seem to have that glue. Unfortunately, they don’t seem to make game situations work in that way this season for Punjab. And when spinners like Narine and Varun are squeezing too much in the middle overs for a team, if they do not have a plan B or do not have the players to make a plan B work, it can be catastrophic.

Mindset Over Muscle

There is talent – Prabhsimran, Livingstone, and Sam Curran have shown it at various times. What has been less convincing, however, is a mix of instinct and intelligence. Aggression without intent is madness. And with Punjab’s batting lately, it has looked a lot more like madness than it has looked like the intentional scoring of runs.

In an era of data-driven cricket, being able to know when to attack is just as important as being able to know when not to attack. For the younger players at PBKS, their technical skill and physical attributes do not align without the discipline to adjust.

Punjab Kings does not lack talent, they lack adaptability. A format that requires you to take calculated risks, use strategy, and make smart decisions cannot be successfully navigated by relying solely on brute force and big hits. The evidence is there; until PBKS can add more versatility and awareness of the game in their batting game plan, they will continually disappoint with as many six hitters as they can assemble in their lineup.

Here is a question for every PBKS fan (and likely their team management): When will they stop trying to chase power and start chasing balance? Let us know in the comments below – what would you change to PBKS’s batting order?

Disclaimer: This cricket blog reflects the author’s insights and analysis. Readers should consider the points discussed and draw their own conclusions.

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