"Jaha Socha Wahi Locha!"- Fans troll PBKS for stunning batting collapse against GT in IPL 2022

The Punjab Kings fell about 20 runs short of where they could have been against GT (P.C.:iplt20.com)
The Punjab Kings fell about 20 runs short of where they could have been against GT (P.C.:iplt20.com)

Despite a flurry of runs off the last few deliveries, the Punjab Kings (PBKS) will still feel that they could have scored much more than 189/9 in their 20 overs after batting first against the Gujarat Titans.

With five overs to go, PBKS still had seven wickets in hand and a total in excess of 210 looked on the cards with Liam Livingstone in full flow.

However, some fantastic bowling from Rashid Khan, coupled with some questionable shot selection from the Punjab batters, meant that they have arguably fallen 20-30 runs short of where they could have been at the end.

Fans on Twitter slammed the Punjab Kings as their 'fearless' approach cost them dearly for the second time in four games. Here are some of the reactions:


Rashid Khan, Nalkande derail PBKS juggernaut

Hardik Pandya won the toss and opted to field first in this game as dew could make chasing easier. Mayank Agarwal and Shikhar Dhawan needed to get off to a good start. However, Mohammed Shami once again provided the early breakthrough and sent the PBKS skipper packing.

Jonny Bairstow looked threatening, but was undone by the extra bounce from Lockie Ferguson. Having lost two quick wickets inside the powerplay, Punjab had their backs to the wall. However, Liam Livingstone made his intentions clear, smacking a boundary off the very first ball that he faced.

Dhawan continued to anchor the innings while Livingstone picked up from where he left off against the Super Kings. After Dhawan departed, young Jitesh Sharma continued the carnage and it looked like Punjab could score well beyond 200.

However, debutant Darshan Nalkande, who was under the pump in his first two overs, picked up the wickets of Sharma and the dangerous Odean Smith off consecutive deliveries.

But PBKS still continued with their fearless brand of cricket with Shahrukh Khan smashing Shami for two back-to-back sixes. Hardik Pandya then turned to Rashid Khan for a much-needed breakthrough.

This was probably Hardik's last throw of the dice and the Punjab batters could have afforded to play him out. However, both Livingstone and Shahrukh perished trying to take on the Afghanistan star and that opened the floodgates for the opposition.

Within no time, Punjab were nine down and had it not been for some crucial runs by Rahul Chahar, PBKS could have struggled to cross even the 170-run mark. It will be interesting to see if these 10-20 runs could prove to be the difference between the two sides in the end.

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