'Extremely poor': Ex-India star lambasts Punjab Kings over 'very bad decision' against DC

During the 64th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) between Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Delhi Capitals (DC), a controversial decision was made by the home team to retire out Atharva Taide, which received criticism from former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif. PBKS, chasing a target of 214, required 86 runs in 30 balls when Taide was retired out in the 15th over, ending his partnership of 78 runs with Liam Livingstone. Taide had scored a valuable 55 off 42 balls, while Livingstone's impressive unbeaten knock of 82 off 37 balls couldn't save the team as DC won by 15 runs.

Mohammad Kaif slams Punjab Kings for retiring out Atharva Taide

Kaif expressed his discontent with PBKS's decision, citing examples of Rinku Singh and Rahul Tewatia, who had initially struggled but later played crucial innings for their respective teams. Kaif argued that Taide was batting well with a strike rate of 130, and retiring him was a poor decision as the incoming batters couldn't sustain the momentum. He further emphasized that such decisions rarely lead to positive outcomes and challenged the proponents of this strategy to provide statistics supporting its effectiveness.

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"Extremely poor decision to ask him to come out. Why do you talk about Rinku Singh and Tewatia? Rinku Singh was a run-a-ball at the start and Tewatia was on 13 off 21 balls. They hit five sixes after that. Taide was scoring at a strike rate of 130 and with Livingstone on the other side looked set. Liam Livingstone was playing with a brisk pace and Taide was performing his role. He is an uncapped player who was hitting fours and sixes." Kaif said on Star Sports.

“He had gotten his eye in and you asked him to come out when it was the time to hit sixes. Very bad decision because who came after that - Jitesh Sharma, Shahrukh Khan, and Sam Curran - all of them came and got out. If the decision had been good, I would have praised them. If you check the stats, whenever such a thing has been done that a set batter has been asked to come out, how many times has the new batter won the match? Show me the stats, I will concede defeat," he added.

Also Read: Delhi Capitals Beat Punjab Kings By 15 Runs Despite Liam Livingstone Batting Masterclass

Delhi Capitals eventually managed to win the game by 15 runs. Livingstone was dismissed on the final delivery of the last over for 94 off 48 balls. The defeat further deteriorates Punjab Kings' chances to qualify for IPL 2023 playoffs. Punjab Kings are still stuck in the eighth position in the points table with six wins in 13 matches. 

Image: BCCI