It’s honest to say change has been the solely fixed for Punjab Kings.
The franchise tweaked its title, went by 16 captains and 10 coaches in 17 seasons, and nearly at all times had a significant overhaul come public sale time. Success, nevertheless, has remained elusive.
The final time the Punjab outfit made the Indian Premier League playoffs, M.S. Dhoni was nonetheless an energetic Test cricketer and Lewis Hamilton had only one Drivers’ Championship.
The onus is now on the Shreyas Iyer-Ricky Ponting alliance to take the Kings one step additional than their runners-up end in 2014. And there may be scope for hope provided that the duo had a formidable stint in Delhi Capitals colors.
The skipper’s position, at No. 3, will be so as to add stability to a line-up that has power-hitters aplenty.
In Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis and Azmatullah Omarzai, the aspect has sufficient and extra overseas willow-wielders; the identical, nevertheless, can not be mentioned about the Indian a part of the set-up. Hence, it is crucial that Prabhsimran Singh and Shashank Singh — PBKS’ solely two retentions forward of the public sale — have a great season.
The likes of Nehal Wadhera, Musheer Khan and Vishnu Vinod must chip in when referred to as upon.
The bowling arsenal seems to be promising and thrilling. The pace-battery will be led by the ever-reliable Arshdeep Singh, who was introduced again utilizing the Right-to-Match (RTM) possibility at the public sale. V. Vyshak, Yash Thakur, Kuldeep Sen and Lockie Ferguson present depth and selection.
Arshdeep Singh.
| Photo Credit:
FILE PHOTO: R.V. MOORTHY
South Africa all-rounder Marco Jansen — who is anticipated to bat at No. 7 — will act as the bridge between the bowling and batting wings although his main obligation will be to ship early wickets and arrange the sport for the tweakers.
Wily leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, IPL’s most prolific bowler, will be complemented by the left-arm spin of Harpreet Brar, whose strengths lie in accuracy and wicket-to-wicket line.
All issues thought-about, the Kings do have the firepower to go all the approach. But the query stays: can they exorcise the ghosts of the previous and produce a profitable blueprint to again the personnel?
Published – March 13, 2025 05:36 am IST
