Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar believes the Punjab Kings are lacking a batsman in their team and is unsure if they can clinch the IPL title this year.
IPL 2022: Punjab Kings have no Impact player, says Sunil Gavaskar (Courtesy of BCCI)
HIGHLIGHTS
- When there are very low expectations, there is very little pressure: Gavaskar on PBKS
- Gavaskar ‘not yet convinced’ with PBKS as title challenger
- PBKS will play RCB in their opening game in the IPL 2022
The hard-hitting Sunil Gavaskar thinks that the Punjab Kings may have reshuffled their roster but they are still missing an impactful player in their squad and as such he is unsure if they will be able to win their first title in the Indian Premier League (IPL) winning year. Remarkably, The Punjab Kings are one of only three franchises (among the original 8) to still have captured the IPL title.
PBKS was one of the greatest underachievers in IPL history. However, with a hard-hitting roster, PBKS has what it takes to make the top 4 this season. All eyes will be on head coach Anil Kumble and his combination with Mayank Agarwal as the duo will be under pressure to perform.
“Punjab Kings is one of those teams that has yet to win the title. This time around, I don’t think they have a batsman in the squad they’ve built. But on the other hand, it could also benefit the squad. If it When there are very low expectations, there is a lot less pressure,” Gavaskar told Sports Tak.
PBKS only kept two players in Mayank and Arshdeep Singh as they went for a complete overhaul. They bought back the likes of Shahrukh Khan and Harpreet Brar and hired Jonny Bairstow, Shikhar Dhawan, Liam Livingstone and Odean Smith at the mega auction. PBKS looks strong on paper and it remains to be seen if they can translate all the talent and firepower in the roster into performances.
“When the pressure is off, the players are freer in their approach. In this aspect, I think Punjab Kings may surprise some. Will they win the trophy? I doubt it. See, this is a T20 format and you have to be in that consistent winning cycle,” added Gavaskar.
Punjab Kings will open their IPL 2022 campaign on March 27 against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
