PBKS went to the auction with the biggest purse, INR 110.50 crore, and did a decent job buying several quality players.
Punjab Kings (PBKS) retained only two players before the IPL 2025 auction: Shashank Singh and Prabhsimran Singh. They went to the auction with the biggest purse, INR 110.50 crore, and did a decent job buying several quality players.
Their biggest purchases were Shreyas Iyer, for whom they spent INR 26.75 crore, and Yuzvendra Chahal, for INR 18 crore. PBKS also used their Right To Match (RTM) card for Arshdeep Singh, getting him back for INR 18 crore.
Other notable picks were Marcus Stoinis at INR 11 crore and Marco Jansen for INR 7 crore. They also got a few quality players at a lower price than expected, including Azmatullah Omarzai at INR 2.40 crore and Yash Thakur at INR 1.60 crore.
The squad looks promising, and PBKS will be one of the teams to watch. If they make the right on-field calls, PBKS can really be a force in IPL 2025.
While Punjab Kings have Josh Inglis to open the innings, Marcus Stoinis solves too many issues as an opener. He has previously opened the innings in T20s and can maximise the powerplay overs with Prabhsimran Singh. If Stoinis opens the innings, other batters get their original positions, and PBKS extract the most from every batter.
If Josh Inglis opens the innings, Stoinis must bat in the middle order, which would demote several batters. Nehal Wadhera and Shashank Singh will fit nicely at No.5 and 6, respectively. However, that is only possible if Stoinis bats at the top.
Nehal and Shashank are quality batters, and their real value won’t come out if they go too down in the order. Last year, Shashank wreaked havoc at No.6, while Wadhera shouldn’t bat as low as No.7. They can always revert to slotting Stoinis in the middle order if the move doesn’t work initially.
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Punjab Kings lack an LHB in their top four, making their batting unit one-dimensional. However, PBKS have a simple solution to counter this issue – they can use Nehal Wadhera as a floater. The main motive to keep Nehal Wadhera at No.5 is to allow Glenn Maxwell to take on spinners and fuller-length balls against pacers.
However, Wadhera is equally good against spin and can protect Maxwell against left-arm orthodox spinners. Maxwell has had issues against left-arm spin lately, but Wadhera can counter them, as he has done before in the league. Hence, he can be used as a floater, for he provides an LHB dimension and solid skills vs spin.
Wadhera has a high attacking intent and can hit from the first ball, so there’s no reason not to promote him if required. Maxwell has limitations but has a lot to offer if shielded properly. Nehal can do that, and it is also one of the reasons why Stoinis should bat at the top; it allows PBKS to maximise the batting abilities of Maxwell and Wadhera by using them according to the match situation.
While three overseas spots are sealed, PBKS have several quality options for the fourth slot. They should go with Lockie Ferguson for the fourth spot over Josh Inglis, who looks a popular pick. We have already mentioned the benefits in the batting department.
However, PBKS will also bolster their bowling attack by benching Josh Inglis and picking Lockie Ferguson. Arshdeep Singh and Marco Jansen will bowl with the new ball, while Marcus Stoinis can also give a few overs using his cutters and other variations. However, PBKS still need an enforcer who bowls hard lengths at a high pace in the middle overs.
Lockie Ferguson ticks that box and provides decent value in the slog overs. He has improved massively in the last year and has performed well everywhere. PBKS don’t have too many solid options who can hit the deck hard, so Ferguson should play to secure the middle overs.
Suryansh Shedge is the best option as an impact player in this PBKS lineup. They might want another batter just above Marco Jansen who can tonk pacers, and Suryansh fits perfectly. He has built a high reputation for batting aggressively and plays regularly in the lower order for his domestic side.
Suryansh had a magnificent 251.92 strike rate and a 2.60 balls-per-boundary ratio in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024. Seven of his nine innings came at No.6 or below in the tournament. Hence, he is an ideal player for the finishing role.
His recent form has also been quite good, and he completes PBKS’ batting unit. The Impact Player rule has opened opportunities for such batters, and the Kings should maximise his batting value. He provides batting depth while ensuring no batter bats out of position.
Vishnu Vinod is another option who can be used as an impact player in the upcoming IPL season. He is a pace-hitter known for his tremendous power and can clear the ropes easily. He hasn’t had enough opportunities to play but has shown glimpses of his batting value in patches.
The decks in IPL are mostly flat, and Vishnu can flex his muscles. The good thing is that PBKS can use him anywhere they want. Hence, his value increases, given how crucial floaters are in a T20 team.
He can whack anything on the fuller side against speedsters. While the priority should be Suryansh for the lower-order hitting, Vishnu can come in if he doesn’t score consistently. These two should be top options for lower-order hitting.
Kuldeep Sen should be PBKS’ impact player if they prefer Josh Inglis over Lockie Ferguson in the main XI. Sen is a hit-the-deck bowler who bowls a heavy ball to hit the bat hard. Hence, he can be used as an enforcer.
He has previously done well in this role and is a wicket-taker. If Ferguson doesn’t play, PBKS will need an additional speedster for the middle overs. Hence, the ideal thing is to find another hit-the-deck bowler, and Kuldeep does that.
PBKS have a few good options for this role, and Sen’s previous experience will help him. Yash Thakur is another player, but Kuldeep’s hit-the-deck abilities are better than him. So, if the decision is to be made between Kuldeep Sen and Yash Thakur, PBKS should go with the former, given he fits better than Thakur in this setup.
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