If the captaincy factor is taken out of the equation, Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore have a lot in common. A penchant for inconsistency and a fragile middle-order leading to constant chopping and changing of the playing XI sum up their failure to clinch the IPL title till now.
Having retained only a couple of players from the previous season, Punjab made their intentions clear at the auction table in February and went all out with the mantra of an ‘aggressive approach’. Desperate to shed the tag of perennial underperformers, the franchise for now can boast of having plugged the gaps in the run-up to the tournament.
