The Kings broke the bank to attain the services of English all-rounder Sam Curran, who became the most expensive player in IPL history with INR 18.50 crore.
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Formerly known as the Kings XI Punjab, Punjab Kings (PBKS) are a franchise that has had to deal with a lot of bad luck throughout their time so far in the Indian Premier League (IPL). One positive going into the 2023 season is that they seem to have a balanced 25-man-squad and perhaps have the best chance of finally getting their hands on the trophy. The team is led by Shikhar Dhawan, who definitely has a point to prove ahead of the T20 world cup. His batting and leadership skills will be put to the test and the Indian opener will be looking to deliver on all fronts and give the Punjab faithful their first ever IPL glory.
The Kings broke the bank to attain the services of English all-rounder Sam Curran, who became the most expensive player in IPL history with INR 18.50 crore after a bidding war between them and Mumbai. The team had let go of their long-time player Mayank Agarwal and although they tried to secure his services at the auction last year, lost out to the SunRisers Hyderabad. PBKS has good depth in batting and a strong bowling attack. They have quite an impressive foreign contingent which is absolutely crucial for the success of any team in the league.
However, there still are areas where improvements needed to be made. For example, their Indian all-round contingent is not that dynamic, neither are their choices when it comes to Indian pacers or spinners. Having a good foreign contingent is one thing but being heavily reliant on that is a big mistake. It will be interesting to see how Dhawan plays the cards he has been dealt and how the team performs in the tournament this season. With that in mind, here are the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for the Punjab Kings.
Despite losing the highly prolific Jonny Bairstow to injury, the Punjab Kings have a tremendous foriegn contingent to boast of. The likes of Kagiso Rabada, Matthew Short, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Sikandar Raza and Bhanuka Rajapaksa make for a dynamic group which covers almost all aspects of the game. The best thing about this lot is that they are all experienced players that have proven their worth either in the IPL or outside.
PBKS have a good pace bowling duo in Arshdeep Singh and Rabada, both of who can be absolutely threatening to any batter on their day and turn the match on a swivel. They also have a good spinner in Rahul Chahar who has proven in the past that he belongs in the starting XI of any IPL team.
The biggest weakness Punjab have to deal with on paper the lack of Mayank Agarwal’s replacement. If we look at the team’s batting lineup, Matthew Short may open the batting with Dhawan, followed by Livingstone. After them, there really is not anyone who can fill the huge shoes Mayank left. Of course, one can look at Shahrukh Khan or Jitesh Sharma or even Prabhsimran Singh, but none of those batters is quite as consistent or skilled or proven as Mayank.
Another big problem PBKS has on their plates is the lack of an experienced and proven spinner apart from Rahul Chahar.
Perhaps the biggest opportunity there is for Punjab Kings this season is how Shikhar Dhawan leads the team and plays. Dhawan used to be one of the best players in the country at one point of time but his form has taken a dip and his absence from the national team has turned quite a few heads. If there is anything he needs to do this season, is prove to everyone that he is still an exceptional cricketer and leader.
The lack of an established spinner apart from Rahul Chahar is obviously a massive problem for the team. If Chahar doesn’t find his form or faces an injury, Dhawan will face a huge problem. There will be issues with the lack of an Indian batter in the team as well should any of the players in the starting XI fail to perform.
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