Having discovered responsible of chopping and altering far too many occasions, Punjab Kings will likely be counting on World Cup successful coach Trevor Bayliss and new skipper Shikhar Dhawan to shed their perennial underachievers tag this IPL season. The reputed Australian coach is aware of a factor or two about successful, having guided England to the 2019 ODI World Cup and KKR to titles in 2012 and 2014. Punjab Kings house owners have roped him in with the only goal of lifting the elusive IPL trophy.
Inconsistency has damage Punjab badly through the years and Bayliss must discover a solution to optimise the efficiency of a squad that appears formidable on paper. Punjab completed sixth prior to now 4 seasons and reached their solely closing in 2014.
Punjab went into the 2023 mini public sale with the utmost purse and spent most of their cash on England all-rounder Sam Curran, making him the most expensive purchase in IPL historical past at Rs 18.50 crore.
The different gamers they purchased had been 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).
Matthew Short has been drafted into the squad as a substitute participant for the injured Jonny Bairstow.
Strengths
Punjab have loads of firepower within the batting unit regardless of the absence of Bairstow. The presence of Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jitesh Sharma, Curran, Short, who impressed within the newest Big Bash version, make them a power to be reckoned with.
Curran, participant of the 2022 T20 World Cup, is predicted to play each recreation and contribute in each the departments.
The core group stays the identical as final yr and that offers them a lot wanted stability within the bowling division. Curran, Kagiso Rabada and Arshdeep Singh can do the job each with the brand new ball and dying overs whereas Rahul Chahar and left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar are able to hanging within the center overs.
Weakness
The crew must finalise Dhawan’s opening companion in Bairstow’s absence. Sacked skipper Mayank Agarwal had pushed him down the order to accommodate Bairstow on the prime final yr.
Dhawan could have the choice of selecting between Short, Prabhsimran Singh and Curran, who opened for the franchise again in 2019.
Chahar is their frontline spinner and if he and Brar have a few unhealthy video games, Punjab won’t have quite a bit to select from.
Opportunities
Dhawan, who was among the many constant performers of the crew final yr, has been handed the management accountability. The southpaw will likely be aiming to revive the fortunes of his crew in addition to himself.
An excellent IPL with the bat and as captain can pave the best way for a nationwide comeback although the 37-year-old finds himself on the unsuitable aspect of 30s. He being handed a BCCI contract on Sunday may also give him hope. Tamil Nadu batter Shahrukh Khan is but to show himself within the middle-order and will likely be itching to do this in his third season.
Threats
Liam Livingstone, who has not performed any aggressive cricket since December 1 on account of a knee harm, can change the sport along with his large hitting. Punjab will likely be hoping he has totally recovered from his harm. His spin, each leg break and off-spin, has additionally proved to be useful.
Sri Lankan Rajapaksa is one other one who can take the sport away from the opposition and he confirmed glimpses of that final yr. He will likely be seeking to construct on that efficiency.
Squad: Shikhar Dhawan (captain), Matthew Short, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Shahrukh Khan, Sikandar Raza, Raj Bawa, Rishi Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, Atharva Taide, Arshdeep Singh, Nathan Ellis, Baltej Singh, Sam Curran, Kagiso Rabada, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Harpreet Bhatia, Vidwath Kaverappa, Shivam Singh, Mohit Rathee.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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