IPL 2022: Punjab Kings - Squad And Player Analysis, Strengths and Weakness

With Mayank Agarwal as their new skipper and a number of world-class players in their ranks, PBKS are out to make a statement.

Punjab Kings. Image credit: twitter
By Nilavro Ghosh | Mar 10, 2022 | 4 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

In a league as unpredictable as the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Punjab Kings (PBKS) have been predictably delivering under-par performances for quite a while now. Ever since their loss to Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2014 final, PBKS just has not been able to find their groove. The 2022 edition of the IPL, however, does seem like a good opportunity to change all of that. This time, they have the squad to do it as well. After the loss of KL Rahul ahead of the auction, PBKS knew they had to spend big, and did they ever.

With Mayank Agarwal as their new skipper and a number of world-class players in their ranks, PBKS are out to make a statement and hopefully even win the whole thing for the first time in their history.

Punjab Kings in IPL 2022 Mega Auction

The Kings have certainly splashed the cash in the 2022 auction and has surprised a lot of people, in a good way, with their purchases. The franchise has brought in the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Jonny Bairstow, and Shikhar Dhawan. These three players are absolutely world-class and will certainly bring a lot of joy to skipper Mayank Agarwal on the field.

The Kings have also done a great job in signing the likes of Rahul Chahar and Shahrukh Khan. These two players can definitely hold their own against the bigger names in high-pressure situations. Overall, PBKS have done a fine job at the auction as they look like a much more balanced team than they have in quite a while.

Read More – IPL 2022: Mumbai Indians – Squad And Player Analysis, Strengths and Weakness

Punjab Kings Team List for IPL 2022

Players retained: Mayank Agarwal (captain), Arshdeep Singh

Players bought: Shikhar Dhawan, Kagiso Rabada, Jonny Bairstow, Rahul Chahar, Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Prabhsimran Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Ishan Porel, Liam Livingstone, Odean Smith, Sandeep Sharma, Raj Bawa, Rishi Dhawan, Prerak Mankad, Vaibhav Arora, Writtick Chatterjee, Baltej Dhanda, Ansh Patel, Nathan Ellis, Atharva Taide, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Benny Howell.

PBKS batters

  • Mayank Agarwal
  • Prerak Mankad
  • Bhanuka Rajapaksa
  • Shahrukh Khan
  • Jonny Bairstow
  • Prabhsimran Singh
  • Jitesh Sharma

PBKS bowlers

  • Kagiso Rabada
  • Arshdeep Singh
  • Writtick Chatterjee
  • Sandeep Sharma
  • Nathan Elis
  • Vaibhav Arora
  • Ishan Porel
  • Rahul Chahar

PBKS all-rounders

  • Benny Howell
  • Baltej Singh
  • Ansh Patel
  • Liam Livingstone
  • Rishi Dhawan
  • Atharva Taide
  • Odean Smith
  • Raj Bawa
  • Harpreet Brar

Punjab Kings Key Players for IPL 2022

There is no doubt that the current PBKS team is as strong as anyone on paper. The focus, primarily, seems to be on the batting department with a healthy combination of innings-builders and finishers. Five names stand out when it comes to making the runs and the Kings will be dependent on them for consistent performances. These are skipper Mayank Agarwal, Jonny Bairstow, Shikhar Dhawan, Shahrukh Khan, and Liam Livingstone.

They have not slacked off in the bowling department either. The likes of Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, and Arshdeep Singh will be absolutely crucial if they want to stop their opponents chasing them down or reaching a massive total.

Punjab Kings strengths

Their top order is undoubtedly the strongest part on paper. The likes of Dhawan, Bairstow, Livingstone, and Mayank are all big-name players who have tons of experience. It will be extremely difficult for any team to get the better of this batting lineup in its entirety. These four are followed by some heavy hitters, who can play those crucial cameos towards the end of an innings. The Kings’ bowling unit also seems balanced, especially with Rabada and Arshdeep leading the pace attack.

Read More – IPL 2022: Chennai Super Kings – Squad And Player Analysis, Strengths and Weakness

Punjab Kings Weaknesses

Although the Kings have a decent pace attack, the spin department does seem understaffed. Rahul Chahar is the only spinner in the squad who has had some real experience in the IPL and at the national level but even he is not always consistent. The lack of an experienced all-rounder can also cost Mayank’s team.

Punjab Kings Opportunities and Threats

As mentioned earlier, the spin and all-rounder departments will be a serious issue if there are injury or fatigue concerns in the PBKS ranks. They could certainly have gone for an experienced spinning all-rounder in the auction but the franchise decided to focus more on batting. However, one thing that they can be hopeful about is incredible batting performances on a regular basis. With the top and middle-order that they have, PBKS can decimate any bowling attack in the league.

IPL 2021 team

KL Rahul (Captain), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Mandeep Singh, Sarfaraz Khan, Deepak Hooda, Prabhsimran Singh, Mohammed Shami, Chris Jordan, Darshan Nalkande, Ravi Bishnoi, Murugan Ashwin, Arshdeep Singh, Harpreet Brar, Ishan Porel, Moises Henriques, Shahrukh Khan, Pratyush Singh, Jalaj Saxena, Nathan Ellis, Adil Rashid, Aiden Markram.

IPL 2021 performance

As far as the race for the four playoff places goes, the 2021 IPL showcased one of the tightest in the competition’s history. PBKS were within a shout of making it to the final spot but they came up short. Ultimately, the franchise finished in sixth place with just 12 points. This has been a trend for PBKS for quite a number of seasons now. They start decent, falter in the middle, and stage a vain comeback towards the end. The team only registered six wins in their 14 matches and lost eight. Things are, however, different this time around and it will be interesting to see how Mayank Agarwal leads the side.





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