Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra reckons the Punjab Kings (PBKS) will discover it troublesome to win matches constantly in IPL 2022 if captain Mayank Agarwal doesn’t rediscover his batting kind quickly.
The opening batter has managed solely 136 runs in seven matches at a median of 19.43 and a strike charge of 125.93. His sole half-century got here towards the Mumbai Indians (MI) on the Maharashtra Cricket Affiliation (MCA) Stadium in Pune. Punjab will tackle the Lucknow Tremendous Giants (LSG) on the identical venue on Friday.
Previewing the conflict on his YouTube channel, Chopra opined that Agarwal must get again among the many runs within the match towards LSG. He acknowledged:
“Mayank Agarwal hasn’t scored runs. If PBKS should win, he should rating. There isn’t a doubt about that. There might be hopes of a superb knock from him as a result of his solely rating of notice got here at this venue.”
Chopra added that Shikhar Dhawan’s return to kind augurs properly for the franchise, whereas terming Bhanuka Rajapaksa an outstanding batter within the T20 format. The cricketer-turned-analyst added:
“Shikhar Dhawan is in good kind. Like David Warner and KL Rahul, he’s constant when he finds his groove. Bhanuka Rajapaksa is an exceptional participant. He performs excellent T20 cricket. Within the final match, he batted slowly as a result of the floor at Wankhede was gradual. This pitch is anticipated to be barely faster. After that, they’ve Liam Livingstone and Jitesh Sharma.”
In Punjab’s earlier match towards the Chennai Tremendous Kings (CSK), Dhawan scored an unbeaten 88 off 59 balls to carry PBKS to a morale-boosting 11-run victory. Agarwal and Co. are at present seventh within the standings with eight factors from as many video games.
“Take into consideration leaving out Bairstow to carry Ellis in” – Aakash Chopra’s suggestion to PBKS
Analyzing Punjab’s group mixture for Friday’s match, Chopra prompt that the franchise may ponder upon bringing in tempo bowler Nathan Ellis rather than batter Jonny Bairstow.
In response to the 44-year-old, PBKS may want extra tempo of their assault towards LSG in Pune and defined:
“I feel PBKS want to handle one challenge on this match. They want tempo on this floor. Rishi Dhawan is an effective choice and bowls properly, however he’s a medium pacer. For this match, they will take into consideration getting Nathan Ellis in. They will take into consideration leaving out Jonny Bairstow to carry Ellis in for this sport. Liam Livingstone, Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Kagiso Rabada can keep as the opposite three abroad gamers within the group. I really feel they need to give it a thought.”
Ellis, 27, has performed just one match for Punjab this season. He bowled two overs towards the Delhi Capitals (DC), returning with figures of 0 for 15.
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