Shikhar Dhawan's Punjab Kings are set to begin their campaign in the upcoming Indian Premier League against the Kolkata Knight Riders. The squad will be relying on World Cup-winning coach Trevor Bayliss and new captain Dhawan to remove their perennial underachiever's tag. Punjab has been criticised for inconsistency over the years and Bayliss will have to find a way to optimise the performance of the team. Punjab finished sixth in the past four seasons and reached their only final back in the year in 2014.
Punjab Kings 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.
Who has come in for Punjab?
The Punjab squad has roped in England player Sam Curran by making him the costliest buy of the tournament. Punjab Kings also welcomed Sikandar Raza, Harpreet Bhatia, Vidwath Kaverappa, Mohit Rathee, and Shivam Singh.
Player to be ruled out of the tournament:
Matthew Short has replaced the injured Jonny Bairstow in the PBKS squad.
PBKS Strengths
Punjab have a lethal batting unit including players like Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jitesh Sharma, Curran, and Short. Moreover, the core team has not changed and this can provide the required balance in the bowling unit. The core group remains the same as last year and that gives them much-needed balance in the bowling department. Curran, Kagiso Rabada, and Arshdeep Singh can bowl with the new ball and as well as death overs.
PBKS Weakness:
The squad's top order is yet to be finalised. With Bairstow's absence, the question of who will open with skipper Dhawan has raised questions. On the other hand, Rahul Chahar is their frontline spinner and if he along with Harpreet Brar has a few bad games, the franchise won't have a lot of options to choose from. The team's strategy of cutting and chopping which failed in the previous season will also be given a look.
PBKS Opportunities:
Dhawan as a captain will want to guide the team to new heights and it will be a good opportunity for him to pave the way for a comeback in the national team. Tamil Nadu player Shahrukh Khan is yet to prove himself and will want to do so in his third season.
PBKS Threats:
Punjab Kings will hope that Liam Livingstone, who has not played any cricket since December 1 due to a knee injury, gets fully recovered ahead of the tournamen
