KKR vs PBKS: Sam Curran and Punjab Kings absolutely crushed by former Australian legend after GT drubbing

Former Australian all-rounder Tom Moody criticized the Punjab Kings (PBKS) batters for their poor outing against the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Tom Moody described the Punjab Kings batters' approach against the Gujarat spinners as "reckless."

The Sam Curran-led team lost to the Gujarat Titans by three wickets in Mullanpur on Sunday, April 21. The home team managed only 142 runs before getting bowled out in the allotted 20 overs. The Shubman Gill-led side successfully chased down the target with five balls to spare.

Extremely Poor With Their Spin Management - Tom Moody

Tom Moody described Punjab's' spin management as 'very poor' and labeled the collapse as a disaster. Moody acknowledged GT's spin attack as good, but the Punjab team's performance seemed like a complete meltdown.

“Very poor, extremely poor with their spin management. 7/68 off-spin was an absolute disaster. It was the way the players got out against spin that would be frustrating me the most. It looked reckless. I get the fact that you need to be proactive and busy,” Moody told ESPNcricinfo.

“Yes, GT have a good spin attack, but they would have gone into this contest knowing that would have been the challenge. It looked like a complete meltdown,” he added.

PBKS's stand-in captain, Sam Curran, opted to bat first after winning the toss. The team had a strong start in the powerplay, with opener Prabhsimran Singh scoring a quick 35 runs off 21 balls. However, Singh's dismissal in the sixth over marked the beginning of a downfall for PBKS.

PBKS faced a collapse after their promising 52-run opening partnership. GT's spin trio of Rashid Khan (1/15), Noor Ahmad (2/20), and R Sai Kishore (4/33) restricted PBKS to 99/7. Harpreet Brar scored 29 runs off 12 balls, including four boundaries and a six, to help reach a modest total.

Punjab Have Themselves To Blame - Wasim Jaffer

Former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer acknowledged Prabhsimran Singh's brisk start but stated that he should have capitalized on the opportunity to score big. Jaffer attributed the team's struggles to the lack of form of their batters.

“Punjab have themselves to blame. Prabhsimran gave them a decent start, but he should have kicked on and got a much bigger score. I thought he should have taken a lot of responsibility,” Jaffer said.

“When you have got so many players who are out of form and not scoring runs, you get days like these,” Jaffer added.

The Punjab Kings suffered their sixth defeat in the ongoing tournament. The Punjab franchise is currently in the ninth position in the table with 4 points and a net run rate (NRR) of -0.292. They secured victories against the Delhi Capitals (DC) and the Gujarat Titans.

Punjab Kings are seeking a reversal of fortunes as they prepare to face Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Friday, April 26.

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