After finishing at the sixth place in the points table last season, Punjab Kings are all set to begin their campaign for the upcoming edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 against Kolkata Knight Riders on Saturday. Led by the veteran opening batter Shikhar Dhawan, the Kings will be guided by World Cup winning coach Trevor Bayliss, as they eye their maiden IPL title. During the auctions, PBKS bought England all-rounder Sam Curran for a whopping total of Rs 18.50 crore and made him the costliest buy in IPL history.
The other players they bought were Sikandar Raza (Rs 50 lakh), Harpreet Bhatia (Rs 40 lakh), Vidwath Kaverappa (Rs 20 lakh), Mohit Rathee (Rs 20 lakh) and Shivam Singh (Rs 20 lakh).
Inconsistency has hurt Punjab badly over the years and Bayliss will have to find a way to optimise the performance of a squad that looks formidable on paper. Punjab finished sixth in the past four seasons and reached their only final in 2014.
However, Punjab have suffered a blow even before the start of the season as their aggressive wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow has been ruled out due to a lower limb injury. Uncapped Australia batter Matthew Short, who had an exceptional outing in the last edition of Big Bash League, has been named as his replacement.
Punjab have plenty of firepower in the batting unit despite the absence of Bairstow. The presence of Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jitesh Sharma, Curran, Short, who impressed in the latest Big Bash edition, make them a force to be reckoned with.
Curran, player of the 2022 T20 World Cup, is expected to play every game and contribute in both the departments.
However, the team needs to finalise Dhawan's opening partner in Bairstow's absence. Sacked skipper Mayank Agarwal had pushed him down the order to accommodate Bairstow at the top last year.
PBKS IPL 2023 Schedule:
Match 1: April 1 - Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Mohali (3:30PM IST)
Match 2: April 5 - Rajasthan Royals vs Punjab Kings, Guwahati (7:30PM IST)
Match 3: April 9 - Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Punjab Kings, Hyderabad (7:30PM IST)
Match 4: April 13 - Punjab Kings vs Gujarat Titans, Mohali (7:30PM IST)
Match 5: April 15 - Lucknow Super Giants vs Punjab Kings, Lucknow (7:30PM IST)
Match 6: April 20 - Punjab Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mohali (3:30PM IST)
Match 7: April 22 - Mumbai Indians vs Punjab Kings, Mumbai (7:30PM IST)
Match 8: April 28 - Punjab Kings vs Lucknow Super Giants, Mohali (7:30PM IST)
Match 9: April 30 - Chennai Super Kings vs Punjab Kings, Chennai (3:30PM IST)
Match 10: May 3 - Punjab Kings vs Mumbai Indians, Mohali (7:30PM IST)
Match 11: May 8 - Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings, Kolkata (7:30PM IST)
Match 12: May 13 - Delhi Capitals vs Punjab Kings, Delhi (7:30PM IST)
Match 13: May 17 - Punjab Kings vs Delhi Capitals, Dharamsala (7:30PM IST)
Match 14: May 19 - Punjab Kings vs Rajasthan Royals, Dharamsala (7:30PM IST)
Strongest XI:
Shikhar Dhawan, Prabhsimran Singh, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma, Shahrukh Khan, Sam Curran, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh
Punjab Kings Full Squad:
Players bought at IPL auction - Shivam Singh (INR 20 lakh), Mohit Rathee (INR 20 lakh), Vidwath Kaverappa (INR 20 lakh), Harpreet Bhatia (INR 40 lakh), Sikandar Raza (INR 50 lakh), Sam Curran (INR 18.5 crore), Matthew Short (INR 20 lakh)
Players retained - Shikhar Dhawan (c), Shahrukh Khan, Prabhsimran Singh, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jitesh Sharma, Raj Bawa, Rishi Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, Atharva Taide, Arshdeep Singh, Baltej Singh, Nathan Ellis, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Harpreet Brar.
With PTI Inputs