Over the last couple of seasons, Punjab Kings have squandered several winning opportunity, many of which could be narrowed down to their over-reliance on the opening pair, of K.L. Rahul and Mayank Agarwal, who batted too cautiously for the format.
This season they roped in Dan Weston as analyst. The effect was already visible, as PBKS prioritised acquiring hitters in their batting order. They spent over INR 20 crores on Shahrukh Khan and Liam Livingstone, and acquired a proven performer in Shikhar Dhawan.
Let's take a look at Punjab Kings' squad for IPL 2022:
Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal, Arshdeep Singh, Kagiso Rabada, Jonny Bairstow, Rahul Chahar, Harpreet Brar, Shahrukh Khan, Prabhsimran Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Ishan Porel, Liam Livingstone, Odeon Smith, Sandeep Sharma, Raj Angad Bawa, Rishi Dhawan, Prerak Mankad, Vaibhav Arora, Writtick Chatterjee, Baltej Dhanda, Ansh Patel, Nathan Ellis, Atharva Taide, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Benny Howell
Strength
- Punjab Kings drew criticism last season for their inability to utilise the hitting prowess of Shahrukh. With Livingstone and Smith in their squad, they can now promote Shahrukh up the order. While Livingstone has got the range to take on fast bowlers, they can use Shahrukh as a floater to attack the spinners.
- Shikhar Dhawan, Agarwal, and Bairstow make a formidable top order. Against fast bowlers, Agarwal has struck at around 150 in the last two seasons, while Shikhar Dhawan has also expanded his hitting range.
Weakness
- The pace department looks weak. In IPL 2021, Rabada went for over eight an over and picked only 15 wickets. At Delhi, they had other quality fast bowlers. Not so in Punjab, who do not have a recognised name barring Arshdeep. Smith is still untested in IPL, while Sandeep's best days are behind him.
- There is no proven pace-bowling all-rounder. This will be the first season for both Bawa and Smith, while Rishi Dhawan does not have a great IPL record.
Strongest Possible Playing XI:
Mayank Agarwal (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Liam Livingstone, Shahrukh Khan, Raj Bawa, Odean Smith, Harpreet Brar, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh