Punjab Kings (PBKS) started their IPL auction planning on a perfect note by retaining most of their core.
Punjab Kings (PBKS) started their IPL auction planning on a perfect note by retaining most of their core. However, their auction buys seemed out of place and misfit at times. Some of their picks were forced and unnecessary.
For example, PBKS bought Chris Woakes for INR 4.20 crores, whose weakest format is T20s. Further, Woakes is a powerplay specialist, and PBKS already have several better pacers for this department. Rilee Rossouw is a nice buy, but PBKS ended up paying too much for him.
In Harshal Patel, PBKS have found a solid domestic pacer for the middle and death overs. However, his cutters might not be as effective in flat Mohali tracks, but Harshal was still the best option. Vishwanath Pratap Singh is a top-order batter who can bowl useful off-spin and is a nice addition at a base price.
𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐬 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞. 🤝#ABdeVilliers #HarshalPatel #SaddaPunjab #PunjabKings pic.twitter.com/OR7e7RmW1H
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) December 21, 2023
PBKS have also bought Shashank Singh as a replacement for Shahrukh Khan. Like Shahrukh, Shashank is also a lower-order hitter and impressed with a few cameos last season while playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). Ashutosh Sharma is another similar batter who can whack pace ferociously and provide a final flourish to the innings.
The left-arm spin all-rounder, Tanay Thyagarajan, has also been included at a base price and will be a backup for Harpreet Brar. Similarly, Prince Choudhary is a leg-spinner who will be the backup for Rahul Chahar. PBKS have bought shining domestic stars at reasonable prices but could have done better in their overseas recruitment overall.
A sneak peek into the future! 👀#SherSquad, our newest recruit is set to spin a web in #IPL2024. 🕸️
📽️: Prince Choudhary #PrinceChoudhary #SaddaPunjab #PunjabKings #JazbaHaiPunjabi pic.twitter.com/h3kZU4ENUc
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) December 22, 2023
PBKS squad for IPL 2024: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Arshdeep Singh, Ashutosh Sharma, Atharva Taide, Chris Woakes, Harpreet Bhatia, Harpreet Brar, Harshal Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Jonny Bairstow (wk), Kagiso Rabada, Liam Livingstone, Nathan Ellis, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Prince Chaudhary, Rahul Chahar, Rilee Rossouw, Rishi Dhawan, Sam Curran, Shashank Singh, Shivam Singh, Sikandar Raza, Tanay Thyagarajann, Vidwath Kaverappa, Vishwanath Pratap Singh.
Shikhar Dhawan (c)
Jonny Bairstow*
Prabhsimran Singh
Atharva Taide
Liam Livingstone*
Jitesh Sharma (wk)
Sam Curran*
Harpreet Brar
Harshal Patel
Kagiso Rabada*
Rahul Chahar
Arshdeep Singh
Wicketkeeper: Punjab Kings will play three wicketkeepers in their XI at full strength. Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh and Jitesh Sharma can all keep, but Jitesh will take the gloves while the other two will play as batters. It will be hard for PBKS to settle the position of Prabhsimran and Bairstow, but the latter might bat at No.4 since he has previous experience of batting in the middle order.
Prabhsimran was among Punjab’s best batters last season and found success at the top. Jitesh Sharma will finish the innings. He has been consistent and hits boundaries consistently.
Overseas Players: Punjab Kings will likely play Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran and Kagiso Rabada as their four overseas players. As mentioned above, Bairstow will bat in the middle order and will shield Atharva Taide from the spinners. Their positions should be decided based on the bowling attack.
Liam Livingstone will bat at No.5 and do hard-hitting like the previous two seasons. His bowling will also be handy. Sam Curran will be another English all-rounder in the team, a floater as a batter and bowl crucial overs for PBKS.
Curran wasn’t as effective last season with both bat and ball, for he has ample limitations. His bowling style doesn’t suit the home tracks in Mohali since Curran doesn’t have a high pace, and his cutters don’t stick well in the pitches here. But he will still play to balance the side.
Kagiso Rabada will be the fourth overseas, but he has also been mediocre in this format. He concedes too many runs and is unreliable, especially in the death overs. Rabada’s form has got a bit better lately in ODIs, and PBKS would hope he continues the same way in T20s.
Ideally, Nathan Ellis should be the overseas pacer since he operates better in the middle and death overs. Ellis did well for Punjab Kings last season and is a T20 specialist. His bowling smarts are a lot better than Rabada in T20s, and Ellis also has more variations to work with.
That’s an absolute seed from Nathan Ellis! 🍑 #BBL13 pic.twitter.com/gkYceRvX8C
— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) December 23, 2023
Rilee Rossouw is another top-order batter, bought as a replacement for Bhanuka Rajapaksa. His struggles against spin mean Bairstow will be preferred to him in the middle order. PBKS have Atharva Taide for a similar role, and they won’t have to waste an overseas slot, either.
Sikandar Raza is a spin all-rounder who did well for PBKS last season. Sikandar can do the lower-order hitting and bowl useful off-spin in the middle overs, but he won’t be the first starter. He can be slotted over the overseas pacer if the track assists the spinners since Raza also provides batting depth.
Chris Woakes is a complete misfit in the PBKS team. He can’t play unless PBKS want a powerplay bowler with some batting depth in the lower order. Woakes isn’t reliable in any other phase, and his T20 game is not ideal for the IPL since he is not a specialist in any department of any phase, and it’s pointless to waste an overseas spot for him.
Impact Players: Arshdeep Singh will be the impact player for Punjab Kings. He will bowl in the powerplay and death overs and is the best bowler of PBKS. His last season was mediocre, and his recent T20 returns are concerning, but Arshdeep is still Punjab’s best bet and will have to step up.
Punjab Kings can also start with Arshdeep in the XI and use Vidwath Kaverappa as a powerplay specialist who can bowl a few overs in the middle. Kaverappa is a genuine new-ball wicket-taker and can come in for a spinner or overseas pacer. His recent form has also been top-notch.
How did Punjab Kings shape up in the IPL 2024 auction?#iplauction2024 pic.twitter.com/jIx3fqg7AY
— CricXtasy (@CricXtasy) December 19, 2023
Hits:
Punjab Kings have a terrific domestic talent pool in the squad.
Punjab Kings have a nice blend of RHBs-LHBs throughout the batting order.
Punjab Kings have batting depth and firepower in the middle and lower middle order to provide the final touches to the innings.
PBKS have powerplay specialists and decent death-over options in the squad.
PBKS have variety in the spin department and decent backups for the regular players.
Misses:
Punjab Kings could have included another spin basher in the top four.
Shikhar Dhawan’s lack of genuine match practice at this level might be problematic.
PBKS don’t have a genuine enforcer for the middle overs.
The recent forms of Arshdeep and Curran could be an issue for PBKS.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
