“Don’t Have a Good Off-Spinner”: Shikhar Dhawan Discloses Why Punjab Kings Aren’t Able to Defend Totals

11 matches into Indian Premier League 2023 and Punjab Kings captain Shikhar Dhawan (57) has suddenly pointed out the lack of an off-spinner as a reason behind his team not being able to defend totals. Coming fresh off a last-ball loss against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens, PBKS have failed to restrict an opposition for the fourth time out of six losses this season.

In all honesty, one shouldn’t blame them for not being able to defend 144 and 154 runs against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Gujarat Titans respectively in the first half of the season. Having said that, Dhawan and his men should be hurt for not defending 215 and 180 runs against Mumbai Indians and KKR in their last two matches respectively.

Losing a couple of points at any stage of an IPL season’s league phase can be detrimental to a team’s prospects of qualifying for the playoffs. However, the severity of such a loss extends to another level when you haven’t qualified with only three more matches to be played.

Shikhar Dhawan Discloses Why Punjab Kings Aren’t Able to Defend Totals

Dhawan was speaking to host broadcaster Star Sports Network after a 5-wicket loss to Kolkata when he disclosed the reason behind his team’s successive mediocre bowling performances in the second innings.

“We don’t have a good off-spinner. When left-handers come, from one end we were bowling leg-spinner and [from the other end] we had a left-arm spinner. I feel that’s where we’re leaking runs,” Dhawan told Star Sports tonight.

In the absence of a specialist off-spinner in their Playing XI on Monday, Dhawan once again hoped for batter Liam Livingstone (15 & 0/27) to work wonders for him with his secondary skill. Not the first time when he trusted the Englishman to bowl in front of left-handed batters, it is noteworthy that Livingstone has leaked 94 runs in the seven overs that he has bowled across five IPL 2023 innings.

Apart from Livingstone’s unacceptably high economy rate of 13.42, him covering up for a left-handed spinner in Harpreet Brar (17* & 1/4) does more harm than good for them. Brar’s five wickets across nine innings are not ideal numbers you would want from a bowling all-rounder but his economy rate of 7.38 surely makes him a deserving candidate to bowl ahead of part-time spinners.

Even though PBKS managed to chase down a 201-run target against Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium last month, Dhawan’s ploy of bowling Livingstone and Sikandar Raza ahead of Brar had seen them conceding 47 runs off four overs. While Brar hadn’t bowled in that match, he bowled a solitary over against Knight Riders despite dismissing in-form batter Jason Roy (38).

Who are Punjab Kings’ Off-Spinners in IPL 2023?

It is entirely true that Punjab don’t have a specialist off-spinner in their IPL 2023 squad. However, it is also entirely true that you don’t expect a captain highlighting an error made in the auction at this stage of the tournament. If the franchise was indeed missing an off-spinner, they could’ve replaced all-rounder Raj Angad Bawa with one instead of roping in an inexperienced all-rounder.

Hence, it wouldn’t be wrong to conclude that Kings are not only missing an off-spinner but also missing apt communication between players, team management, analysts and the owners.

How Important is an Off-Spinner for an IPL Team?

Any franchise which undergoes a successful auction is generally said to have “ticked all boxes”. A primary reason behind the usage of this term is for that franchise to have all covered all bases, i.e., bought all types of players. In what is an ideal-case scenario before an IPL season, it’s not that teams haven’t done well without a specialist player in the past.

In Punjab’s case, however, they haven’t been able to adjust to the absence of one key department. Dhawan, as a captain, has succumbed to the modern-day school of thought of bowling left-arm spinners and leg spinners to right-handed batters and off spinners (even part-timers in desperation) to left-handed batters.

In a point of view which is unfair to spinners in my view, it restricts the role of a spinner by a mammoth extent. Something which was rarely the case a decade ago, it has made spinners, who turn the ball into a batter, look incompetent.

Much like Brar, PBKS’ frontline specialist spinner in Rahul Chahar (2/23) has also not picked the number of wickets one expects from him. That said, the 23-year old player’s economy rate of 8.03 hasn’t come only against right-handed batters.

With three must-win matches to be played for them to qualify to the next round, Dhawan should, ideally, trust both Chahar and Brar to do the heavylifting for him in the middle overs irrespective of who is batting in front of them. The captain’s unwavering faith might well bring out the best out of both their best spinners of the season.