The Punjab Kings will look to end their frustrating long wait for the Indian Premier League (IPL) title as they head into the new 2022 season with a revamped squad captained by Mayank Agarwal. PBKS moves away from the KL era as the Indian star has moved bases to Lucknow Super Giants.
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 as the duo will be under delivery pressure.
IPL 2022: FULL COVERAGE | TIME SCHEDULE
PBKS only kept 2 players in Mayank and Arshdeep Singh as they went for a complete overhaul. They were bought back by the likes of Shahrukh Khan and Harpreet Brar at the IPL auction. It seemed like PBKS wanted to harness power hitters. It was evident when they bought Jonny Bairstow, Shikhar Dhawan, Liam Livingstone and Odean Smith at the mega auction.
With Dhawan and Mayank, PBKS have another reliable opening pair after the departure of Rahul. With Bairstow and Livingstone in midfield, the Punjab side have plenty of firepower followed by Shahrukh who has proved a revelation in the domestic white ball tournaments.
PBKS has the same U19 World Cup Finals star Raj Bawa and all-rounder Rishi Dhawan for the lower middle class role. Ben Howell and Smith are great additions to the site.
Their Tempo Attack has been boosted with the addition of Kagiso Rabada and Nahan Ellis, while players like Arshdeep and Sadeep Sharma and Ishan Porel bring quality home experience.
PBKS has better spin bowling attack as they used Rahul Chahar to compliment young left-armed spinner Brar.
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.
PBKS SQUAD – IPL 2022
Retained Players: Mayank Agarwal and Arshdeep Singh
Player auctioned: 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 Rajapakse, Benny Howell.
