The Punjab Kings batsmen have consistently disappointed leaving the first match of this tournament. In particular, the top order of the team has not been able to strengthen.
This exciting battle took place in the IPL-2020 between Punjab and Mumbai.
The Punjab Kings (PBKS) have not started well in IPL 2021. The team has lost 3 consecutive matches after winning the first match of the season. Despite changing the name this season, the fortunes of the franchise have not changed. The team also changed some players, but they too have not been able to get any success. In such a situation, what other changes should be made in the team so that the team starts winning the match? Gautam Gambhir, a former captain of Kolkata Knight Riders, has a suggestion in this direction and that is if Chris Gayle is given a place in the playing eleven, then the opening should be done from him.
Gambhir believes that Gayle should have opened in every match of Punjab. The maximum 6 centuries in IPL history have come from Gayle's bat and all these centuries have been scored by the West Indies veteran opening. In such a situation, it is considered best suited for this responsibility if he is included in the team.
Former Indian batsman Gambhir spoke about the Punjab batting in ESPNcricinfo's program, saying, "Gayle should have come for the opening in Mumbai, because if he had played 60 balls, he could have scored a century. Especially in Chepauk (Chennai), they should have done it, because the first 6 overs needed to be taken advantage of and who could be better than Gayle for this. ”
Punjab won by just 4 runs against Rajasthan Royals in the first match of the season. Gayle contributed 40 runs in this close victory. After this match, Gayle, like the rest of the Punjab batsmen, failed in the next matches. In all these matches, opening for Punjab was done by KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal, while Gayle landed at number three for batting.
Although Punjab has world number one T20 batsman David Malan to bat at number three, Gambhir does not consider him more effective than Gayle. According to Gambhir, "I think there is no comparison (between the two)". He can be the number one batsman, but you also have to look at different situations. If you ask him (Gayle) to bat at number three in Chepauk, he will struggle. We have seen in the last several seasons that if Gayle is in the playing eleven, then he should open. ”
After losing 3 consecutive matches, the challenge in front of Punjab is now even more difficult in their next match. The team will face five-time champions Mumbai Indians on Friday 23 April. However, Mumbai itself would like to return to the path of victory. He had to face defeat in his last match at the hands of Delhi Capitals.
