"Such good highways have been made from Delhi to Chandigarh" - Aakash Chopra questions PBKS' pitch preparation for IPL 2025 Qualifier 1 vs RCB

Former India player Aakash Chopra has questioned the Punjab Kings (PBKS) for preparing a bowler-friendly pitch for their IPL 2025 Qualifier 1 clash against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). He opined that the home team should have played the game on a pitch as flat as the highways between Delhi and Chandigarh.

PBKS were bundled out for 101 in the first playoff game of IPL 2025 in New Chandigarh on Thursday, May 29. RCB achieved the below-par target with eight wickets and 10 overs to spare to book their berth in the final in Ahmedabad on June 3.

Reviewing the IPL 2025 Qualifier 1 in a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener wondered why PBKS prepared a pitch that suited RCB more.

"Punjab, this was your home game, so why did you make a pitch like that? The opposing team's fast bowling is only good, and your guy, Marco Jansen, had left. You needed a flat pitch. You should have played on an absolute road," Chopra said (3:10).

"Such good highways have been made from Delhi to Chandigarh. A road like that should have been prepared, but they didn't do that. The pitch they prepared had grass and help for the bowlers," he added.

The Punjab Kings might not have had a say in the pitch preparation for Thursday's game. The surfaces for the playoffs might be prepared as per the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) directives.

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"Prabhsimran Singh could have played a little more carefully" - Aakash Chopra on PBKS batters' dismissals in IPL 2025 Qualifier 1 loss vs RCB

Prabhsimran Singh was caught behind off Bhuvneshwar Kumar's bowling. [P/C: Getty]

Reflecting on the PBKS batters' dismissals in IPL 2025 Qualifier 1 against RCB, Aakash Chopra questioned Prabhsimran Singh for his ultra-aggressive approach on a seamer-friendly pitch.

"Yash Dayal picked up the first wicket. The ball was bouncing a little extra. Priyansh Arya got out. After that, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and that's when I felt Prabhsimran Singh could have played a little more carefully. He had already hit two fours, and this pitch was slightly green and had a little bounce and sideways movement," he said in the same video.

The cricketer-turned-commentator noted that Shreyas Iyer lost his wicket to an injudicious shot.

"There were a lot of expectations from Shreyas Iyer. Really loose shot because this was a chance to fight. He should have been up for the fight and should have taken it deep. He should have said that he would remain there even if he looked slightly ugly. However, he didn't stay," Chopra elaborated.

Chopra added that Josh Inglis and the other PBKS batters also did not exercise any restraint on a pitch that wasn't as flat as a highway.

"Josh Inglis also hit and got caught in the deep. It seemed like everyone was thinking 'my way or the highway.' The pitch wasn't a highway, so your way couldn't have worked. You had to play cautiously, but nobody was interested, and that was disappointing," he observed.

Marcus Stoinis (26 off 17) was the only Punjab Kings batter to score more than 20 runs in the IPL 2025 Qualifier 1. Prabhsimran Singh and Azmatullah Omarzai, who scored 18 runs apiece, were the other PBKS players to reach double digits.