Home pitch sends Kings XI bats out of tune

Twenty20, out of the sheer duration of it, is often a game of fine margins. Coaches and captains look at that extra edge they can get out of small plays. Every little thing matters, like a catch off the helmet grille wrongly ruled out - as happened with Wriddhiman Saha - but Kings XI Punjab are struggling so much that little things are likely to make a big difference.

They even had some luck going their way: the first ball Piyush Chawla bowled, a legbreak to start the eighth over, flicked Shaun Marsh's pad before hitting the bat. It would have made for a really good lbw shout but nobody noticed. Marsh was on 10 at the time and went on to make an unbeaten 56, but in the end it only delayed an inevitable defeat.

From the moment Kings XI lost the toss - they were gifted a chance to chase by Rising Pune Supergiants two days ago - they were under incredible pressure. David Miller and Glenn Maxwell need a flat pitch or a chasing scenario. Miller has scored 37 runs in four innings, Maxwell 38. No other team is being let down by their biggest players in this IPL.

In all IPLs, Miller averages 61 batting second with a strike rate of 152. Those numbers come down to 26 and 139 batting first. The numbers don't say Miller can play well only when batting second, but when you are in a bad patch you can do with what you excel at. So once Kings XI were put in, and they scored only 41 in the Powerplay - by a distance the lowest such score in the last six matches in Mohali - only a sensational return to form for either Miller or Maxwell could bring them back into the game.

There is another bigger issue that Miller and Maxwell might not be able to address. Their roles in other T20 teams are usually one-dimensional: push it to the limits with big hitting. From the moment Kings XI let George Bailey go, this squad didn't have any middle-order batsman who can stabilise an innings. With the resources available to them, Kings XI need quick pitches for Miller and Maxwell to become factors, especially when Miller has repeatedly said he sees no need to change the way he plays.

Mohali, unfortunately, is not going to provide them that. It is almost like they are playing away matches at home. The Mohali square has not been relaid in 23 years. Daljeet Singh, the chief groundsman in Mohali, keeps saying there is no life left in these "buddhi" [old] pitches. The Punjab Cricket Association, though, is focusing on its new ground in the outskirts of Mohali, which means the square here is not a priority.

To add to that, Mohali's pitches have been prepared in exceedingly uncharacteristic fashion this season to suit India's needs. From the Test that finished in three days to the World T20 match that India played - where they had to sweat out a chase of 160 against Australia - this pitch has been a slow turner. It has to be difficult to change the nature of such pitches overnight, especially with IPL matches being played on it so quickly one after the other. Give the home side such a pitch against a squad that has Sunil Narine, Piyush Chawla and Brad Hogg, and they are left on a hiding to nothing.

In having missed out on the three games in Nagpur - another turning track this season - there might be an opportunity for them to move to Dharamsala with its small boundaries and quicker pitch. For it is unlikely they will get any favours via the pitches when they are on the road.