19 April,2018 04:40 PM IST | Mumbai | Santosh Suri
Chris Gayle
Hyderabad are now the only unbeaten team in this edition of the T20, having won their first three games. Punjab, though unbeaten in two matches at home, have their task cut out against a team which has the momentum when the two clash today at the IS Bindra Stadium.
The home side, besides taking on table-toppers, have a set of problems. They have given Yuvraj Singh a long rope, but the southpaw is still a long way from showing any form. Every time he has come to bat, he has taken his own sweet time and as a result has failed to build on the momentum provided mainly by KL Rahul and, of course, Chris Gayle in the previous match. That has cost the team a few valuable runs.
Another top-class batsman struggling is Aaron Finch. Having missed the first game because of his wedding, Finch has fallen to golden ducks in the matches against Bangalore and Chennai.
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In fact having faced two deliveries and falling leg before to both, he has yet to lay bat on ball. Punjab are desperately hoping that not only Finch but also Yuvi get their form back, as they have relied heavily on starts provided by Rahul and bolstered by Karun Nair down the order. Gayle striking his vaunted form is indeed good news for the Punjab team management and will be hoping that the "Universe Boss" continues to lord over the rival bowling consistently and that his blast against Chennai the other night was not a one-off affair.
They know if Gayle fires again, the team has a good chance of grabbing another win at Mohali, their last game here, as their other four home matches will be played at Indore next month.
As for Hyderabad, they too have relied on good form of Shikhar Dhawan and skipper Kane Williamson. Manish Pandey has yet to fire in three games, and the sooner he does the better it will be for the team. Then there are Deepak Hooda and Yusuf Pathan who have yet to make significant contributions. But these are early days and the team management his hopeful that they will come good when needed the most.
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