The latter part of the IPL league stage has posed a rather peculiar problem for Punjab, right from the time they were known as Kings XI Punjab. R Ashwin, KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal and Shikhar Dhawan have led the team since 2018 and they have one thing in common. None of the four has emerged as the winning captain in the penultimate game of the league stage of the IPL since 2018, and each of the defeats before this season has eventually proved costly as they weren't able to make it to the playoffs.

Letting the qualification equation slip out of their hands has time and again caused a heart-break for Punjab. Before their IPL 2023 encounter