The 'Commercial' Decision That Hurt Punjab Kings' IPL Playoff Bid, As R Ashwin Pointed Out
PBKS sat on top of the points table for 22 days in the ongoing edition before a devastating run of six consecutive losses completely derailed their campaign.
- Punjab Kings won six of their first seven matches but missed IPL playoffs again, finishing 5th with 15 points
- PBKS led the points table for 22 days before losing six consecutive matches to miss out on a top-four finish
- Some franchises often split their home games to expand their commercial footprint
It was deja vu all over again for Punjab Kings as the franchise failed to qualify for the Indian Premier League playoffs despite winning six of their first seven matches. Back in 2018, under the leadership of former India cricketer R Ashwin, PBKS (then Kings XI Punjab) similarly missed out on a place in the top four after winning five of their first six matches that season. Notably, PBKS sat on top of the points table for 22 days in the ongoing edition before a devastating run of six consecutive losses completely derailed their campaign.
Ashwin had called out the PBKS ownership on multiple occasions for selecting two different home venues for the season - a critique that, in hindsight, hit the nail on the head. The team struggled significantly away from their primary base, losing all three of their home fixtures at their second venue in Dharamsala.
At their primary base in Mullanpur (New Chandigarh), PBKS had won three of their four games at the start of the season, with their only defeat coming against Rajasthan Royals on April 28. Speaking earlier this month, Ashwin had rightly pointed out that PBKS weren't been able to adapt to the conditions quickly enough.
"So, I am saying that, sure, Punjab have suffered consecutive defeats, but they are not playing in Mullanpur; they are playing in Dharamsala, where the wicket is not that good to bat first on. The ball stays a little low in the first half, so it will take time for them to adapt.
"Their batting order is scoring 30-40 runs fewer, or 20 runs fewer, because they have to adapt. We can all say that Punjab are struggling and have suffered five consecutive defeats, or that 'this is what happens in Punjab'. No, they have played two of those games at a changed home venue," he said.
While some franchises have been loyal towards their base, others often split their home games to expand their commercial footprint.
Punjab Kings
Ravichandran Ashwin