Former India opener Sunil Gavaskar believes Punjab Kings (PBKS) missed a prime opportunity against Mumbai Indians (MI), after letting a winning position slip when they failed to defend a total of 200. Punjab had looked set for victory after a strong late recovery, but MI chased the target down with one ball to spare, powered by Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 75 and a ruthless start from Ryan Rickelton.
What Gavaskar said after PBKS fell short
- Gavaskar felt PBKS should have closed out the contest once they found momentum in the death overs, noting they managed 53 runs in the final three deliveries to reach the 200-mark.
- He argued that the late surge meant Punjab were in control at that stage, and a finish should have been within reach.
- He also pointed to Shreyas Iyer’s failure as a key factor, saying when Iyer gets going Punjab typically add another 20–30 runs, which could have tilted the game further in their favour.
- On the bowling side, Gavaskar criticised certain selection choices, particularly the decision to use Xavier Bartlett, who ended wicketless and went for 53 runs in 3.5 overs.
- The former batter questioned why Bartlett was not given the new ball on a pitch that could offer assistance, stating he was surprised by the call.
Punab’s late batting burst and the chase
Punjab’s comeback was driven by Azmatullah Omarzai, who struck 38 off just 17 balls to accelerate the innings after a middle-overs collapse. Opener Prabhsimran Singh had earlier provided a solid platform with 57 from 32 deliveries, but it was Omarzai’s late hitting that pushed PBKS to 200.
Despite that, Mumbai chased successfully with a ball remaining. Tilak Varma finished unbeaten on 75, while Rickelton set the tone with an aggressive opening approach that kept the chase on track throughout.
Gavaskar’s backing for Omarzai
Gavaskar also singled out Omarzai for special praise, highlighting his impact in both departments during the match. He suggested Punjab should continue to back the Afghan all-rounder and even consider Marcus Stoinis to add further batting depth in the remaining fixtures.
Points table update and next match
With this becoming their fifth straight defeat, Punjab Kings slipped to fourth place in the points table, sitting on 13 points from 12 matches. They are set to play Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Sunday next.
