Published on: Mar 13, 2022 1:08 am IST|Updated on: Mar 10, 2022 3:43 pm IST
The last time Punjab Kings qualified to the playoffs was in 2014 and they have been under performing ever since. Ahead of the 2022 IPL mega auction they retained only Mayank Agarwal and Arshdeep Singh since they failed to convince any of KL Rahul, Ravi Bishnoi and Shahrukh Khan to stay with the franchise, as all of them decided to go into the draft/auctions. Anil Kumble will continue as the head coach and Mayank Agarwal will be their new captain for this season.
1 Shikhar Dhawan 2 Mayank Agarwal 3 Johnny Bairstow 4 Liam Livingstone 5 Rishi Dhawan 6 Shahrukh Khan 7 Odean Smith 8 Kagiso Rabada 9 Rahul Chahar 10 Sandeep Sharma 11 Arshdeep Singh
Dhawan, Agarwal, Bairstow and Livingstone make for a blockbuster top-order with each one of them capable of single handedly winning a game with the bat on their own. The likes of Rishi Dhawan, Shahrukh Khan and Odean Smith are unproven at the IPL level but should do well as support players. The bowling attack comprises of Rabada, Sandeep Sharma and Arshdeep Singh as the pacers with Rahul Chahar as the lead spinner.
Punjab Kings had the highest purse among all franchises while entering the mega auction since they retained only two players. They first bought Kagiso Rabada at 9.25 crores as their bowling attack leader. They also bought Dhawan and Bairstow to beef up their batting. Liam Livingstone was their costliest buy at 11.5 crores with him providing value with both bat and ball. Other notable inclusions are the wristspinner Rahul Chahar, explosive batters Shahrukh Khan and Odean Smith. While PBKS have ticked a lot of boxes right, they could’ve bought a spin hitter like a Pooran or Hetmyer in place of a Bairstow or Livingstone.
Related
Predicted RCB XI Predicted MI XI Predicted CSK XI Predicted DC XI
Predicted RR XI Predicted GT XI SRH Playing XI
Follow us on Google News
Tags: PBKSPunjab Kings