Punjab Kings will get their IPL 2025 campaign underway on March 25 with a game against Gujarat Titans.
Afghanistan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai’s arrival in India for Punjab Kings (PBKS) ahead of the IPL 2025 has reportedly been delayed due to personal reasons.
According to a report in India Today, Omarzai will link up with his franchise on March 21, just four days before their first game of the season against Gujarat Titans (GT) on March 25. Several other foreign players of the franchise began arriving in the country on Monday.
PBKS have got their preparations underway ahead of IPL 2025 with the franchise holding training sessions at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium in Dharamsala. Skipper Shreyas Iyer, head coach Ricky Ponting, and Shashank Singh have already joined the team in Dharamsala.
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PBKS, however, needn’t worry regarding the late arrival of Omarzai. They have South Africa’s Marco Jansen in the squad and Australia’s Glenn Maxwell. The latter will be hoping to have a successful season after a forgettable last campaign in the Royal Challengers Bengaluru outfit.
He played seven matches last year for Gujarat Titans, scoring 42 runs and taking four wickets. After he was released by the franchise, he came under the hammer for the mega auction at a base price of INR 1.50 crore. He was acquired by Punjab Kings for INR 2.40 crore.
At the recently-concluded 2025 Champions Trophy, Omarzai scored 126 runs from three matches (one fifty) and took seven wickets for Afghanistan. He was also named the ODI Cricketer of the Year for 2024 in January.
Punjab Kings have never won the IPL and are eager to change that under their new captain, Shreyas Iyer. The franchise acquired him for a whopping INR 26.75 crore. Shreyas led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their third IPL title last year, but the team released him afterwards.
Punjab Kings’ best IPL finish was when they reached the final in 2014, losing to Kolkata Knight Riders.
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