“It looks like everyone is playing under pressure” - Sanjay Manjrekar on Punjab Kings’ struggles 

Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar reckons that Punjab Kings (PBKS) struggle to perform consistently in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as their players constantly seem under pressure. Drawing a comparison between PBKS and Gujarat Titans (GT), Manjrekar opined that being relaxed helps the latter perform better.

Punjab began their IPL 2023 campaign with consecutive wins over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Rajasthan Royals (RR). However, they have since gone off the boil, registering defeats against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Gujarat Titans.

PBKS’ batting failed for the second game in a row as they were held to 153/8 against GT while batting first. The chasing side won the game by six wickets. Sharing his views on Punjab’s woes, Manjrekar told ESPNcricinfo:

“If you look at Gujarat Titans, even if they lose a game (they are pretty relaxed). The way Hardik Pandya says at the toss that he doesn’t know the playing XI… The approach to play in a relaxed fashion and enjoy the game is something that we don’t see in Punjab. And this has been the case for years. At one point, I felt that Punjab Kings had the best auction, but the performances are not coming.

“If you look at how Sam Curran batted and Bhanuka Rajapaksa before that, it just looks like everyone is playing under pressure. They are not enjoying themselves. If they relax and play without pressure, maybe we might see better performances from them.”

Matthew Short top-scored for Punjab with 36 off 24 balls. Rajapaksa scored 20 off 26, while Curran contributed a run-a-ball 22.

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“Punjab Kings need to establish a culture” - Sanjay Manjrekar

Making an interesting observation about Punjab Kings, Manjrekar stated that they are yet to establish a culture with which they can be identified. Giving the example of other IPL franchises, he explained:

“Every team creates its own environment. For CSK, the mantra is, ‘Dhoni will take care’. The others just need to do their job. MS Dhoni’s a firm believes in getting the process right. Many times Dhoni is disappointed despite winning because the process did not go according to plan.

“Speaking of Gujarat Titans, they have picked up sharp-minded players. Their captain and coach are street-smart cricketers. Punjab Kings need to establish a culture with which they would be identified. What would be the main feature? That is what they need to find out.”

Punjab’s next match in IPL 2023 will be against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Lucknow on Saturday, April 15.