"Biggest disappointment for Punjab has been Nicholas Pooran"- Deep Dasgupta

Former Indian batsman Deep Dasgupta believes Nicholas Pooran's unexpected dip in form was one of the main reasons why the Punjab Kings struggled in the first half of the IPL. In seven games so far, Pooran has scored just 28 runs and has been highly ineffective.

Deep Dasgupta reckons Punjab Kings are highly dependent on the opening combination of KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal. They have been inconsistent when their openers haven't fired and that is one of their main problems, according to Dasgupta.

In a video on his YouTube channel, here is what Deep Dasgupta had to say:

"I think the biggest disappointment for Punjab was Nicholas Pooran. I rate him very highly and I think he is a really good batsman. But unfortunately, he wasn't able to get going at all. They are heavily dependent on KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal to give them a good start."

Biggest positive is the way Indian uncapped players performed: Deep Dasgupta

Deep Dasgupta feels Punjab Kings made really good use of their uncapped talent by putting more responsibility on them. Deepak Hooda has scored 116 runs in eight games and the likes of Arshdeep Singh, Harpreet Brar and Shahrukh Khan have also been impressive.

"Biggest positive for me is how the Indian uncapped players performed. The move to send Deepak Hooda at No.4 was good. Arshdeep Singh has been doing well from the past one and half seasons. Harpreet Brar and Shahrukh Khan too have been good," Deep Dasgupta asserted.

Dasgupta also made a special mention of Australian pacer Nathan Ellis. The 26-year-old has made a name for himself in the Big Bash League as a death overs specialist. He also took a hattrick against Bangladesh on debut.

"It will be interesting to see Nathan Ellis. He is a death overs specialist and is effective with yorkers and slower ones. He also picked five wickets in two games against Bangladesh," Deep Dasgupta concluded.