IPL 2022: Mohammad Kaif Questions Punjab Kings' Batting Approach Against Kolkata Knight Riders

IPL 2022: Former India batter and U-19 World Cup winner Mohammad Kaif has questioned the batting approach of Punjab Kings’ against Kolkata Knight Riders. PBKS got bowled out for 137 runs within 19 overs batting first against KKR. This came after their fantastic run chase of 205 runs against Royal Challengers Banglore.

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Kaif has questioned this batting approach which does not take into account the pitch and the conditions. Punjab lost their captain early but then Bhanuska Rajapaskaha and Shikar Dhawan had a good partnership but in being ultra-aggressive both the left-handed batters lost their wickets inside the power play itself.

Mohammed Kaif Questions Careless Batting Approach

Kaif in a show on Sportskeeda mentioned that he did not like how PBKS approached their innings against KKR. Even after losing wickets at regular intervals, they kept on going after the bowling. “Punjab Kings will take the learning that although they have power-hitters, the role of Shikhar and Mayank is really crucial. You can’t just go and play big shots, you need to respect the pitch, “said Kaif on the show.

He further mentioned the importance of strike rotation in T20 cricket. He said: “When you bat first, the conditions are a bit dry and there are good bowlers who try to pick wickets in the powerplay. So there the par score is a bit less. If you plan on scoring 170 and if you keep wickets in hand, power-hitters like Shahrukh Khan and Odean Smith will take your score to 190. Don’t just think of scoring 200 every time because it is getting chased.”

He also questioned Rajapaksha’s approach who scored 31 runs from 9 balls which included 3 sixes in an over against Shivam Mavi.“He has definitely got the freedom to play his big shots. He is a good player but the fact that he would hit three sixes off three balls and would be so explosive is something that I didn’t quite read. But if you know to hit sixes, you will also need to take singles and read the pitch and conditions. “Kaif told Sportskeeda about Rajapaksha.

It would be interesting to see if PBKS change their batting approach in their next game against Chennai Super Kings or not.

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