Punjab Kings (PBKS) – IPL 2021
6 min read
Introduction
Having released 9 players in the off season, Punjab Kings, or Kings XI Punjab as they were known then, were always going to be “active” at the auction. But having splurged on individuals, they have shot themselves in the foot by limiting the balance of their roster. Yes, 5.25 crore for someone with the promise of Shark Khan is justified, but I’m appalled by the PBKS spending 14 crores for Jhye Richardson and THEN spending 8 crores for Riley Meredith. Nothing against these individuals and they might end up having a breakthrough season, but as I mentioned, they have certainly shot themselves in the foot to begin with. More on that below.
Suggestive Playing XI by Mihir Vohra
Mihir’s SWOT Analysis
strengths
- I had to rattle my brains for this one – their top-order strength is good enough to give the best of bowling lineups a run for their money.
- Apart from the top-order strength, if you can find any other strength in this team from an analytical position similar to mine, let me know in the comments. I’ll salute you for that.
weaknesses
- Spin department is weak – By purchasing Riley Meredith and Jhye Richardson for their eventual price tags, and Mohammad Shami being a certain member of the playing XI, Ravi Bishnoi is the only spin option they have. Playing M. Ashwin would weaken their batting lineup. None of KL Rahul, Mayank agar, Nicholas Pooran and Dawid Malan bowl. None of their first-choice all rounders bowl spin. This means if they want to play a 2nd spinner, they are left trying out an Indian all-rounder, on the lines of Jalaj Saxena, Utkarsh Singh or Srafraz Khan in place of another all-rounder, or play Fabian Allen in place of Chris Jordan or Dawid Malan. This is what I meant when I said, PBKS have shot themselves in the foot before the season has even begun.
- With a fragile middle and lower-middle order, a lo of pressure is added on the top 3/top 4, which takes them back to KL’s Strike Rate dilemma from last season – he’s forced to stay till the end and not be able to play an attacking game with the peace of mind he’d like.
opportunities
- I won’t be alone in thinking that PBKS, realistically speaking, don’t have chances of making playoffs this year. They definitely start out as underdogs without much expectations, which will allow them to fly under the radar and possibly put in some strong performances when least expected.
- At the moment, KL Rahul is the only one who is almost guaranteed to be retained by PBKS next year. This provides an opportunity for others, youngsters especially, to put in some strong performances and extend their case either for a retention by PBKS and a bigger role in the lineup or a bigger paycheque from another team for next year’s mega auction.
threats
- Riley Meredith and/or Jhye Richardson could go down the “Sheldon Cottrell way”, in that, a mediocre or bad season this year could mean them getting dropped like hot potatoes and possibly not getting a buyer next season at all. Very few fast bowlers have survived a season of failure in this league.
- There is a threat of PBKS treating this season as transactional and JUST looking forward to the mega auction next year. As professional athletes, they don’t do this, but it doesn’t take too long for things to compound and go south.
player from unsold
Marnus Labuschagne —> An unpopular opinion here, of many unsold players who would probably add more balance to the roster logically, I feel Marnus’ batting ability, his flexibility vis-a-vis performance in the batting lineup in terms of position and his surprising effective bowling in T20s would have helped PBKS, not only this season, but in the long run as well.
player from another team
Shakib al-Hasan —> While Shakib al-Hasan may end playing a significant role, if not the most crucial one, for KKR, he is not guaranteed to play all 14 games. That being said, for PBKS, Shakib would have added a lot of value, right off the bat, no pun intended; his left-armers and batting skills in the middle-order would help address 2 issues PBKS face in the lead up to the season.
key player
Mayank Agarwal —> KL Rahul and Ravi Bishnoi made strong cases to be in this section, but the former is a bit obvious and the latter is expendable. Mayank Agarwal will have to pull off a Shikhar Dhawan-esque role, in that he has to act as a bridge between the top and middle order and play the match, rather than having a fixed role, allowing and KL and Pooran to play explosively around him. Agarwal becomes all the more important if PBKS have no room for Malan.
prediction
Another dismal season looks on the cards for PBKS, with a bottom 2 finish on the horizon. I just hope Punjab Kings give value to stability.
Roster
Schedule
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