Rahul needs support if Punjab want to topple in-form Delhi

There is no other franchise in the Indian Premier League who rely on their one marquee player as much as Punjab Kings do on KL Rahul. The theory is quite simple, if Rahul does well, Punjab do well, and this year has been no different. The Men in Red and Gold have won three games this season and Rahul has contributed in each of those three victories. The Punjab skipper smashed 91* against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Friday, and along with Harpreet Brar, propelled his team to an authoritative win.

Punjab lost three games on the bounce after commencing their season on a winning note, but are now slowly starting to build some momentum. In their last three encounters, Rahul and Co. have got the better of Mumbai Indians and Bangalore and will now take on one of the other top teams, Delhi Capitals on Sunday (May 2). Rishabh Pant and Co. have been playing some outstanding cricket and are  currently placed second on the points table.

(All stats updated till April 30, 2021)

IS RAHUL'S APPROACH CORRECT?

The stylish right-handed opener has scored 29.2 percent of Punjab's total runs since 2018, the highest by any batsman in this period. Rahul has often been criticised for his batting strike rate and this year has been no different. The wicketkeeper-batsman has so far scored 331 runs at an average of 66.20 and strike rate of 136.21, while the rest of the frontline batsmen have managed 476 runs at an average of 19.83 and a strike rate of 128.64. Rahul has four fifties in seven innings, but in the games in which he failed to contribute with the bat, Punjab could only manage totals of 106/8, 120 and 123/9. Since IPL 2020, Punjab have scored 170+ on nine occasions – In all of those games, Rahul scored in excess of 45 runs.

It's pretty evident that Punjab are over-reliant on Rahul and can't afford to lose him early. The 29-year-old batted with the same approach against Bangalore and got his team to a competitive total of 179. With Mayank Agarwal injured, Punjab played Prabhsimran Singh but the young batsman failed to shine with the bat. That's when Chris Gayle walked in and started whacking from the word go, which allowed Rahul to build his innings. He was 24 off 27 at one stage and was just starting to tee off when Gayle perished. The Kings then lost Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda and Shahrukh Khan in no time and Rahul was forced to slow down.

Rahul doesn't really trust the middle-order and you can't really blame him. He then once again had to rebuild the innings and finally found some support from Brar who was playing his first game of the season. The two slammed 47 runs in the final three overs and that turned out to be the deciding factor. Brar then dismissed Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers in the second innings and Punjab won the game by 34 runs. Now, Rahul is not as aggressive as Prithvi Shaw, Jonny Bairstow, Faf du Plessis and some of the other openers, but he does what works for his team.

Rahul, however, will need support if Punjab wants to keep this winning momentum going. Agarwal will come in straightaway if and when he is fit, while Gayle will have to keep batting the way he did against Bangalore. Hooda and Shahrukh have been inconsistent, but what about Pooran? Against RCB, the left-hander from West Indies became the fifth batsman to register four ducks in a single season. Punjab don't really have an overseas backup for Pooran, but if needed, they can bring in one of Mandeep Singh or Sarfaraz Khan.  

THERE'S NO STOPPING SHAW

You always put your money on a man who has got a point to prove. Prithvi Shaw was hurt after he was dropped from the Indian Test squad following the tour of Australia and now every time he comes out to bat, it feels like the swashbuckling right-hander wants to prove all his critics wrong. Shaw didn't play the 2020–21 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy but bossed everyone in the Vijay Hazare Trophy this year. Shaw (827) became the first batsman to breach the 800-run mark in a single edition of the tournament and has now managed to bring that form to IPL 2021.

Shaw made a couple of technical tweaks in his batting after returning from Australia and it seems to be working out for him. "Even if it's the first ball, I'm going to hit it." Shaw's approach is quite clear - watch the ball, hit the ball. The 21-year-old has already scored three fifties in seven innings and has constantly got Delhi off to a fiery start. Having scored 269 runs at an average of 38.42, his strike rate of 165.03 is the best amongst the top 20 run-getters this season. Strike rate has never been an issue for Shaw but he is now getting those runs on a consistent basis and that's what he would be more pleased about.  

In this edition, Delhi (8.6) have the best scoring rate in the powerplay and it's largely because of Shaw who has a strike rate of 187.8 in that phase. On top of that, Shaw (30.6%) also has the least dot ball percentage amongst all the openers in the first six overs. He has formed a lethal opening combination with Shikhar Dhawan and the duo has put on two 100-plus and as many fifty partnerships in seven innings. Shaw scores at a strike rate of 180 in his first 10 deliveries and that allows Dhawan (114.9) to settle in and play those big innings. Shaw (41-ball 82) was at his absolute best against Kolkata Knight Riders on Thursday. He smoked his Under-19 World Cup-winning teammate, Shivam Mavi for six boundaries in the very first over and helped Delhi chase down a target of 155 with utmost ease.  

With the T20 World Cup coming up, there's a lot of talk going on about India's opening combination. KL Rahul, Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ishan Kishan, India already have a plethora of openers to choose from, but if Shaw could keep his run of form going, the 21-year-old could put a chit with his name on it in the same bowl.

TIME TO BRING IN BILLINGS AND NORTJE?

Kagiso Rabada has failed to make an impact this season. The right-arm paceman from South Africa has only taken five wickets in six games, that too at an economy of 8.72. Last year's leading wicket-taker, Rabada is yet to fire in this edition and is one of the reasons why Delhi (10.6) have the worst economy rate in the last five overs. DC have Anrich Nortje and Chris Woakes waiting in the wings and the former could come in place of Rabada in the next encounter. Nortje was phenomenal last year and could prove to be the X-factor with Axar Patel, Avesh Khan and Ishant Sharma already doing well.

Now, with Dhawan and Shaw in good form, Delhi also have the option of replacing Steve Smith with Sam Billings. If the two openers are constantly playing out six-eight overs, Delhi don't really need Smith. And, that is when someone like Billings could come in handy. The Englishman has the ability to play those big shots and could form a fearsome middle-order with Pant, Marcus Stoinis and Shimron Hetmyer.

PROBABLE XIs

Punjab - KL Rahul (c), Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Chris Gayle, Deepak Hooda, Nicholas Pooran/Sarfaraz Khan, Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Chris Jordan, Riley Meredith, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami.

Delhi - Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Steven Smith/Sam Billings, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Marcus Stoinis, Shimron Hetmyer, Axar Patel, Lalit Yadav, Kagiso Rabada/Anrich Nortje, Ishant Sharma, Avesh Khan.