Key takeaways from PBKS' campaign in IPL 2024
Though Punjab Kings played entertaining cricket in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL), they eventually finished ninth in the 10-team points table. PBKS claimed just five wins across 14 matches (NRR: -0.353). The team's inability to put the final nail in the coffin hurt them as PBKS lost many of their matches in the final over. Here are the key takeaways from their campaign.
The Shikhar Dhawan blow
PBKS' designated captain, Shikhar Dhawan, played just five games due to fitness issues. All-rounder Sam Curran held the reins thereafter and did a decent job. Jitesh Sharma led PBKS in their final league stage fixture as Curran left the camp due to international duties. This was a rare occasion of a team being led by three different captains in an IPL season.
A breakthrough season for Shashank Singh
Shashank Singh's emergence will be among the highlights of the season. The batter aced the finisher's role and played several breathtaking knocks. With 354 runs at an average of 44.25, he finished as PBKS' leading run-getter (50s: 2). His strike rate was a breathtaking 164.65. Shashank's sensational show even earned him a promotion in the batting order later in the season.
Inconsistency from other batters
Notably, PBKS are the only team from which none of the batters scored 400 runs this season. Prabhsimran Singh managed 334 runs, striking at 156.80. Jonny Bairstow, who scored a hundred (108*) against KKR, could not touch the 50-run mark on any other occasion. He clobbered 298 runs. Rilee Rossouw made 211 runs at a strike rate of 181.89.
Ashutosh Sharma also did well
Besides Shashank, Ashutosh Sharma was the other PBKS batter who became a household name with his fiery batting. He scored 189 runs at a strike rate of 167.25. Meanwhile, Jitesh endured a tough time this year as he managed just 187 runs while striking at 131.69. He didn't touch the 35-run mark even once.
The all-round show from skipper Shashank
Skipper Curran led the team from the front with his all-round heroics. With 270 runs at a strike rate of 123.28, he finished as PBKS' fourth-highest run-getter. He smashed two fifties. The left-arm pacer also claimed 16 wickets (ER: 10.14). Sunil Narine is the only other all-rounders with the double of 250 runs and 15 wickets this season.
PBKS bowlers were expensive
Harshal Patel finished the league stage as the highest wicket-taker with 24 scalps. Arshdeep Singh held the third place in this regard with 19 wickets. However, both bowlers conceded runs at an economy of over 9. Kagiso Rabada and Rahul Chahar claimed 11 and 10 scalps, respectively. Both had economy rates of over 8.8. Harpreet Brar's economy of 7.97 was impressive (7 wickets).
The record chase against KKR
PBKS stunned KKR in Match 42 by recording the highest successful chase ever in T20s. They chased down 262 at the Eden Gardens thanks to Prabhsimran, Bairstow and Shashank. The game also saw the Mohali-based team record their highest-ever powerplay total (93/1). Notably, PBKS have scaled seven targets of 200-plus. This is two more than any other team in T20 cricket.
