Punjab Kings' Batting Woes Continue, Langeveldt Calls for More Runs

By CricGPT

Punjab Kings' bowling coach Charl Langeveldt has expressed his frustration over the team's batting struggles, following another disappointing defeat in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

PBKS have now lost six of their eight games this season, including all but one at their new home ground in Mullanpur. Their latest setback came against the Gujarat Titans, where they were bowled out for a paltry 142 after opting to bat first.

Langeveldt lamented the team's inability to post a competitive total, particularly after a promising start. "We showed a lot of character with the ball," he said. "We had a good powerplay with the bat for the first time in three games, but in the middle period, their spinners were too good for our batters and we struggled. We just need our middle order to get more runs. We were probably 20 runs short on that wicket."

The Gujarat Titans' spinners, led by R Sai Kishore (4/33), exploited the used surface to devastating effect, taking seven wickets among them. Langeveldt acknowledged the quality of the opposition's bowling but also pointed to the need for his batters to step up.

"We are going to travel now and we are going to play on better batting wickets," he said. "That would give the batters a bit more confidence going into the last few games. We take every game like a semi-final, final, but yeah, it's one of those things."

Despite the team's struggles, Langeveldt remains optimistic about their chances of turning things around. "We still have to have that belief," he said. "We are a positive side, the boys showed a lot of character in the field. There's a lot to play for, we just need to win."

With more than half of the league matches completed, PBKS sit second last on the points table. However, Langeveldt believes that the team can still salvage something from this season.

"We just need to get more runs on the board," he concluded. "That's something we want to improve. The batters are definitely going to be happy about the next venue [Eden Gardens, Kolkata]. The bowlers need to step up as well when we play at different venues, higher scoring grounds. Hopefully our batters will come good for us."