New Delhi, May 15 (IANS) Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar feels that the Punjab Kings (PBKS) should have won the game against the Mumbai Indians (MI), and they have let a winning position slip away as they lost the match after scoring 200 runs in the first innings.

Punjab Kings had recovered brilliantly in the final overs after a middle-overs collapse, with Azmatullah Omarzai producing a late assault to push the total to 200. Omarzai smashed 38 off just 17 balls, while opener Prabhsimran Singh earlier scored 57 off 32 deliveries.

However, the Mumbai Indians chased down the target with one ball to spare, thanks to an unbeaten 75 from Tilak Varma and an aggressive start from Ryan Rickelton.

Reflecting on the result, Gavaskar said PBKS were in a strong position after their late batting surge.

“This was a game Punjab Kings should have won after scoring 53 runs in the last three overs to get past 200. At that stage, they had the momentum and looked in control,” Gavaskar told Jio Hotstar. “Shreyas Iyer’s failure also hurt because when he scores, Punjab usually gets another 20-30 runs, which could have made the difference,” Gavaskar explained.

The cricket legend also questioned some of Punjab’s bowling decisions, especially the use of Xavier Bartlett, who went wicketless and proved expensive. The Australian pacer gave away 53 runs in 3.5 overs.

“Bartlett has been expensive, and I was surprised he wasn’t given the new ball on a helpful pitch,” he said.

Gavaskar reserved special praise for Omarzai, who contributed with both bat and ball during the match, and suggested Punjab should continue backing the Afghan all-rounder in the remaining games.

“Azmatullah Omarzai was outstanding with both bat and ball, and perhaps Punjab should continue backing him while also considering Marcus Stoinis for added batting depth,” he added.

Meanwhile, with the fifth consecutive loss, the Punjab Kings (PBKS) are present at fourth position in the points table with 13 points in 12 matches. They will next face Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Sunday.

–IANS

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