Correct Option: B

In the battle, Ahmad Shah Abdali had both numeric as well as qualitative superiority over Marathas. The combined Muslim army was much larger than that of Marathas. Though the infantry of Marathas was organized along European lines and their army had some of the best French-made guns of the time, their artillery was static and lacked mobility against the fast-moving Afghan forces. The heavy mounted artillery of Afghans proved much better in the battlefield than the light artillery of Marathas. However, the main reason for the failure of the Marathas was that they went to war without good allies. They were expecting support from their alliesRajputs, Jats and Sikhs, but none of them supported Marathas in the battle. The Marathas had interfered in the internal affairs of the Rajput states (present-day Rajasthan) and levied heavy taxes and huge fines on them. They had also made large territorial and monetary claims upon Awadh. Their raids in the Jat territory had resulted in the loss of trust of Jat chiefs like Suraj Mal. They had, therefore, to fight their enemies alone. The Marathas’ difficulty in obtaining supplies worsened as the local population became hostile to them, since in the Marathas’ desperation to secure provisions they had pillaged the surrounding areas. The Marathas were unwise to carry a large number of non-combatants including wives along with them. This proved a severe handicap as it not only slowed down the movement of the army but also put extra burden on the supplies. A large part of the fighting strength had to be diverted to protecting the camp. They were forced to battle as the Marathas could take the starvation no more. It was this army weakened by starvation that fought the decisive battle of Panipat.