‘Punjab is as bad as Chennai and Mumbai’- Fans lash out at Punjab after humiliating loss to Lucknow

After winning against Chennai, Punjab suffered their fifth defeat in the Indian T20 League 2022 at the hands of Lucknow on Friday. They bowled well to restrict the opposition to 153 runs in the first innings. However, Punjab fell 20 runs short of the target at the end of the second innings.

In pursuit of a 153-run total, Mayank Agarwal looked to be aggressive right from the start of his innings even as Shikhar Dhawan played as a second fiddle. After two silent overs, Agarwal smashed a four and six to Mohsin Khan in the third over to gain some momentum. He then hit a four and a six before holding out to KL Rahul at mid-off. Mayank Agarwal was looking good but, unfortunately, had to go back to the pavilion after scoring 25 runs in 17 balls.

His ally Shikhar Dhawan, never looked comfortable on a slow pitch. He wasn’t able to get the timing right and eventually was out bowled by Ravi Bishnoi. He got out after scoring just 5 runs in 15 balls. After 7 overs, Punjab were struggling at 51 for 2. In-form B Rajapaksa couldn’t make an impact either as he got out off Krunal Pandya in the 8^th over to leave the team in trouble at 58 for 3.

Liam Livingstone then joined hands with Jonny Bairstow and the duo tried to build some momentum. The duo picked 16 runs in Ravi Bishnoi’s 11^th over before KL Rahul brought Mohsin Khan back into the attack in the 13^th over.

The lucknow pacer had Livingstone (18 off 16) caught behind. Jitesh Sharma then got leg before in the 14^th over off Krunal Pandya as Lucknow didn’t allow Punjab build any momentum. Bairstow (32 off 28) kept the hopes alive till the 15^th over. But his wicket in the 16^th over off Chameera meant it was all but over for Punjab. Rishi Dhawan played a vital cameo but that wasn’t enough to take the team over the line. In the end, Punjab fell 20 runs short of the target.

Earlier, Punjab restricted Lucknow to 153 runs in the first innings. KL Rahul, who scored a century in the last match, failed to deliver on Friday. Rabada had him caught behind in the 3^rd over of the innings for just 6 runs in 11 balls. De Kock struggled in the first few overs of the innings as Punjab could only manage to score 39 runs in the first six overs.

The South African wicket-keeper batter, however, then put in a solid 85-run partnership for the second wicket with Ravi Bishnoi. Lucknow made a decent recovery in the next six overs. However, Sandeep Sharma brought the team back into the game as he accounted for the wicket of Quinton de Kock (46 off 37) in the 14^th over.

In the very next over, Deepak Hooda (34 off 28) got run out to leave the team in further trouble. Wickets kept falling at regular intervals thereafter as Punjab lost the momentum. The likes of Krunal Pandya (7), Stoinis (1) and Ayush Badoni (4) all failed to hit the straps.

However, crucial contributions from Chameera and Mohsin Khan in the last few overs helped the team reach a competitive score of 153 runs in the first innings. For Punjab, Kagiso Rabada starred with the ball as he picked 4 wickets for 38 runs in 4 overs. Rahul Chahar (2 for 30) also returned with impressive figures.

Here’s a look at how Twitter has reacted to Punjab’s defeat: