The latest season of IPL is just about to start. IPL 2023 auction were held in Bangalore and it concluded successfully. All the 10 teams have build up their final squads for the upcoming seasons. In this article we will talk about Punjab Kings latest team updates.
PBKS performance in IPL 2023 Mega Auction
Indian veteran batsman Shikhar Dhawan (₹8.25 crore) and South African lethal fast bowler Kagiso Rabada (₹9.25 crore) were the main purchases of Punjab Kings at the IPL 2022 Mega Auction. Until now, PBKS were definitely not known for their smart picks at IPL auctions. However, they have removed that stain in this auction.
PBKS parted ways with their former skipper KL Rahul before entering the IPL 2022 auctions. After their repeatedly poor performances in the previous seasons, PBKS needed to completely revamp their squad. They did so and retained just two players ahead of the auciton. Mayank Agarwal and Arshdeep Singh were retained by Punjab. The management of Punjab Kings entered the auction hoping for a change in their fortune. PBKS bought 23 players in the mega auction to complete their 25-member squad.
Punjab Kings IPL 2023 Squad
Mayank Agarwal, Arshdeep Singh, 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
IPL 2023 : Punjab Kings Squad Analysis
Batsmen :
The presence of big names like Shikhar Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, Jonny Bairstow, Odean Smith along with Mayank Agarwal and Shahrukh Khan in the lineup makes Punjab Kings a worthy competitor of IPL 2022 trophy. Without any argument, PBKS have the strongest batting lineup in IPL 2022. Well it looks so on the paper. The batting lineup of PBKS is powerful enough to give the opposition bowlers a hard time.
Wicketkeepers :
English batsman Jonny Bairstow will keep the gloves for Punjab Kings in IPL 2022. Prabhsimran Singh has been picked by PBKS as a backup option. He was also a part of PBKS in the previous season.
All-Rounders :
This is an area where Punjab Kings might have to face some problems. Odean Smith is the only star all-rounder in the PBKS IPL 2022 squad. Even he lacks the required experience to play in IPL. Apart from him, U-19 WC winner Raj Bawa is a player to watch.
Bowlers :
PBKS won the bidding war against MI for young leg-spinner Rahul Chahar. He is expected to single-handedly lead the spin attack. PBKS too much on purchasing quality batters, they could have went for a few experienced spinners in the squad. Harpreet Brar will play as the second spinner. The pace duo of PBKS is quite impressive. It is a blend of experience and young blood. Kagiso Rabada and Arshdeep will lead the pace attack of Punjab Kings.
PBKS IPL 2023 Squad Preview
Punjab Kings definitely has an impressive squad on paper. It will be exciting to see if they are as good on the filed as well. In the IPL 2022 Mega Auction, Punjab Kings were quite smart with their picks and built a squad full of stunning players. They have the most dangerous batting line-ups in the competition.
PBKS Probable Playing XI for IPL 2023
- Mayank Agarwal (C)
- Shikhar Dhawan
- Jonny Bairstow (wk)
- Liam Livingstone
- Shahrukh Khan
- Odean Smith
- Harpreet Brar
- Kagiso Rabada
- Rahul Chahar
- Ishan Porel
- Arshdeep Singh
