"I felt Punjab would win easily" - Aakash Chopra on Punjab Kings' failed chase in IPL 2024 clash vs CSK

Aakash Chopra reckons the Punjab Kings (PBKS) failed to chase an easily achievable target in their IPL 2024 clash against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

CSK set PBKS a 168-run target in Dharamsala on Sunday, May 5. The hosts then managed only 139/9 to lose the game by 28 runs and remain in the eighth position on the points table.

Reflecting on the Punjab Kings' chase in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra claimed they lost a game they should have won easily. He noted that Tushar Deshpande's early dismissals of Jonny Bairstow and Rilee Rossouw put them behind the eight ball.

"When it was the turn for the run chase, I felt Punjab would win easily - there shouldn't be any tension as it was a very reasonable run chase and you had defeated them in five consecutive games, so beat them the sixth time as well. However, Tushar Deshpande dismissed two batters in his first over," he said (2:45).

"The ball hit Jonny Bairstow's stumps. He played three balls - outside edge, inside edge, and then it hit his pads and the stumps. Rilee Rossouw came and went. The poor guy got dismissed for zero" the former India opener added.

Deshpande bowled Bairstow for a six-ball seven off the third ball of the second over. The right-arm seamer then rattled Rossouw's stumps three deliveries later, with the left-handed batter failing to open his account.

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"The fall of wickets wasn't stopping" - Aakash Chopra on the Punjab Kings' collapse

The Punjab Kings kept losing wickets at regular intervals. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra noted that the Punjab Kings lost a flurry of wickets once Prabhsimran Singh and Shashank Singh's 53-run third-wicket partnership was broken.

"Prabhsimran Singh and Shashank Singh had a small partnership but then Shashank got out. Then Prabh too got out. Simarjeet Singh, who was playing his first match in 18 months, came and picked up wickets. He dismissed Jitesh Sharma and Harshal Patel. The fall of wickets wasn't stopping," he observed (3:10).

The reputed commentator added that PBKS' collapse implies they have an uphill task ahead to reach the playoffs.

"At one stage, this team was 62/2 and then they became 77/6, 78/7, 90/8 and 117/9. Overall, Punjab completely disintegrated. Punjab cannot reach 16 points now. If they win all their games, they can reach 14. So a lot of teams will get stuck at 14 now. Chennai is still alive and kicking and might reach the last four once again," Chopra elaborated.

The Punjab Kings face the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), the Rajasthan Royals (RR) and the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their remaining three league games. Even if they win all three matches, they will need other results to go in their favor to qualify for the playoffs.