The Punjab Kings had yet another underwhelming season in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and extended their run without making it to the playoffs for the 10th consecutive season. Their campaign was marred with uncertainties, and it started right at the top with the designated skipper Shikhar Dhawan’s shoulder injury causing him to miss out for 9 games of the season. Despite assigning Jitesh Sharma as the vice-captain, PBKS opted to hand over the responsibilities to the Englishman Sam Curran to lead the side in Dhawan’s absence, but the side never managed to find the consistency they were looking for. While the season might not have panned out as they desired, they still had some highlight-reel moments with the likes of Shashank Singh, Ashutosh Sharma, and Harshal Patel leading the way.
IPL 2024: Played: 14; Won: 5; Lost: 9; Final Standing: 9th.
High Point of the Tournament – Jonny Bairstow’s Ton to Lead PBKS’ Record Chase vs KKR
Their best moment of the season came about during that record run-chase against the current champions Kolkata Knight Riders where the Englishman Jonny Bairstow broke the shackles of his run of poor form and came out roaring with a scintillating century to lead Punjab Kings to chase down a mammoth score of 262 with as many as 8 balls to spare. It was their best collective performance with the bat. Prabhsimran Singh set the tone with a quick fifty followed by Rilee Rossouw. Bairstow’s ton and Shashank Singh’s quick fifty led them to complete the record chase.
Low Point of the Tournament – Defeat Against Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 60 Runs at Dharamsala
Their loss against RCB was arguably the toughest one to swallow as the defeat by 60 runs marked an end to their season with the side unable to make it to the playoffs. It was their worst performance in the season with the bowling unit of Arshdeep, Sam Curran and Rahul Chahar all going well over 13 runs per over. The batting unit equally failed to step up with Rilee Rossouw scoring the lone fifty with the others failing to step up to the occasion which ultimately marked their worst defeat of the season.
Captaincy Verdict
With Shikhar Dhawan being out of action for more than half the season, Sam Curran was asked to lead the side. He was able to get a few performances here and there but the role of leading the side coupled with his responsibilities with the ball and bat turned out to be an unfavourable outcome which resulted in a subpar season for the Punjab Kings.
Most Valuable Player – Harshal Patel
Despite not starting out the tournament as how he expected, he managed to find his mojo and become the death bowling threat he was with RCB at one point. Despite the poor start he managed to be among the wickets on a consistent basis after the middle stages of the IPL and finished as the highest wicket-taker of the tournament despite being a tad expensive through the death overs.
Major Disappointment – Jitesh Sharma
The wicket-keeper batter was once a contender for being the national side’s designated finisher. But this season he has failed to live up to the expectations. With only 187 runs and at an average of 17 and 131.69 strike rate is hardly a decent output for someone who is expected to play a more aggressive role with the bat. Fact of the matter is that the likes of Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma have outshone the Indian international which could see Jitesh being released.
Tournament Verdict
Statistics
Most runs: Shashank Singh – 354 runs in 14 matches.
Most wickets: Harshal Patel – 24 wickets in 14 matches
Highest individual score: Jonny Bairstow 108* in 48 balls vs Kolkata Knight Riders
Best Bowling Figures: Arshdeep Singh 4/29 vs Sunrisers Hyderabad
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