Batting without brakes - PBKS make topping 200 a habit at IPL 2025

A bit of reverse swing and a three-for for Harpreet Brar helped Punjab Kings (PBKS) survive the double-barrelled onslaught of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Suryavanshi. But that these things were even a factor after Rajasthan Royals' (RR) biggest powerplay ever in the IPL was because PBKS had put on over 200 for a record-equalling sixth time in a single IPL season.

If that by itself is not remarkable enough, on Sunday, they did so from three down in 3.1 overs: their 219 was the highest any IPL team has got to from three down inside the first four overs. If you have watched the IPL for long enough, you know how the commentators talk about taking three wickets in the powerplay as a big indicator that you are going to win.

More often than not, that happens because the batting team bats like it have lost three wickets. PBKS didn't. They batted like a side that had seven wickets in hand. Shreyas Iyer and Nehal Wadhera, both of whom started the fourth-wicket stand on 0 off 0, hit a boundary off the second balls they faced. Both with aerial shots.

When Riyan Parag was brought on in the seventh over, Wadhera, a left-hand batter, didn't let him just bowl, making room and chipping over extra cover. There was no period of rebuilding, which in T20 parlance means accepting what the opposition is happy to give you. No. 6 batter Shashank Singh, who walked in as early as the 11th over, followed in the same vein.

In IPL 2025, PBKS have all but made their first playoffs in 11 years*, but their coach Ricky Ponting will be especially pleased that they have done so with a match where they lost their big hitters early and were missing their entire Australian batting contingent.

"Talks have been pretty clear," Wadhera said during the break between innings. "No matter what the situation is, you need to punish the loose ball. That is what we have been doing, and that is the only reason we have been scoring above 200. That is the positive mindset among all the team-mates that is helping us cross the line every time."

RR head coach Rahul Dravid said PBKS were 20 above par for the conditions. The 70 off 37 that Wadhera scored, hitting five sixes and five fours, not letting the spinners sneak in a cheap over despite the early loss of wickets, didn't sound like he had done something out of the ordinary. "The preparation of such things happens in the nets," Wadhera said. "Every player out here, the way they play in the nets is quite similar to the way they play in the game."

This is, of course, only Wadhera's fourth score of 50 or more in three years of the IPL, but it should be no surprise that he is enjoying his best IPL in a line-up that gives him more to do than Mumbai Indians (MI) did. He is averaging 35 and striking at 157.3 this year. Wadhera and Shashank have come good at a time when PBKS were dealing with uncertainty wrought in by the break in the IPL. A slip here can be the difference between the top two and just a playoffs finish.

For a rare side wanting to bat first, this was a crucial game to win with a completely uncapped batting core. The only international in that top six, Iyer, made only a small contribution. The leadership will now feel confident of sticking with the way they have been playing.