Punjab Kings Squad and Schedule...Get ready for action

Table of Contents

Introduction

Punjab Kings (PBKS) is a professional cricket franchise situated in Mullanpur, Punjab, competing in the prestigious Indian Premier League (IPL). Originating in 2008 under the name Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), the franchise boasts joint ownership by Mohit Burman, Ness Wadia, Preity Zinta, and Karan Paul. Home matches are predominantly held at the PCA Stadium, Mullanpur, with occasional fixtures at Dharamsala and Indore since the 2010 season. Despite a standout performance in the 2014 season, clinching the top spot in the league table and securing a runner-up finish, PBKS has made only one additional playoff appearance in its 16-season history.

Furthermore, the franchise participated once in the now-defunct Champions League Twenty20 in 2014, reaching the semi-finals. In February 2021, the team rebranded as Punjab Kings. Notably, in the December 2022 mini-auction, PBKS made headlines by securing the highest-ever bid for a player in IPL history, with a staggering bid of ₹18.50 crore (US$2.3 million) for Sam Curran.

Punjab Kings Squad

BATTERS

1. Shikhar Dhawan (c)
   – Opening Batter
   – Age: 38 years, 14 days
   – Batting: Left-hand
   – Bowling: Right-arm Offbreak
   Description: Shikhar Dhawan, the captain of the team, anchors the top order with his explosive strokeplay and vast experience. His aggressive approach sets the tone for the innings, providing a solid foundation for the team’s success.

2. Jonny Bairstow
   – Wicketkeeper Batter
   – Age: 34 years, 84 days
   – Batting: Right-hand
   – Bowling: Right-arm Medium
   Description: Jonny Bairstow, known for his versatility and dynamic wicketkeeping skills, strengthens the middle order with his ability to accelerate the run rate when needed. His consistent performances make him a valuable asset to the team.

3. Harpreet Singh
   – Batter
   – Age: 32 years, 130 days
   – Batting: Left-hand
   – Bowling: Right-arm Medium
   Description: Harpreet Singh adds stability to the batting lineup with his solid technique and ability to rotate the strike. His composed approach under pressure situations makes him a dependable batsman in the middle order.

4. Prabhsimran Singh
   – Wicketkeeper Batter
   – Age: 23 years, 131 days
   – Batting: Right-hand
   Description: Prabhsimran Singh, a young and talented wicketkeeper-batsman, brings energy and dynamism to the team. His aggressive batting style and quick glove work behind the stumps make him a promising prospect for the future.

5. Rilee Rossouw
   – Top order Batter
   – Age: 34 years, 71 days
   – Batting: Left-hand
   – Bowling: Right-arm Offbreak
   Description: Rilee Rossouw, an experienced campaigner in the top order, provides stability and firepower to the batting lineup. His ability to play both pace and spin with equal fluency makes him a vital asset for the team’s success.

ALLROUNDERS

1. Sam Curran
   – Allrounder
   – Age: 25 years, 199 days
   – Batting: Left-hand
   – Bowling: Left-arm Medium fast
   Description: Sam Curran, a dynamic all-rounder, contributes with both bat and ball, providing balance to the team. His ability to swing the ball and play aggressive innings lower down the order makes him a valuable asset in all formats of the game.

2. Rishi Dhawan
   – Allrounder
   – Age: 33 years, 303 days
   – Batting: Right-hand
   – Bowling: Right-arm Medium fast
   Description: Rishi Dhawan, a seasoned all-rounder, offers experience and versatility to the team. His disciplined bowling and handy contributions with the bat make him a reliable option in pressure situations.

3. Liam Livingstone
   – Batting Allrounder
   – Age: 30 years, 137 days
   – Batting: Right-hand
   – Bowling: Right-arm Offbreak, Legbreak
   Description: Liam Livingstone, a dynamic batting all-rounder, provides aggression and power to the middle order. His ability to bowl handy off-spin adds depth to the bowling attack, making him a valuable asset in all conditions.

4. Shashank Singh
   – Batting Allrounder
   – Age: 32 years, 28 days
   – Batting: Right-hand
   – Bowling: Right-arm Medium, Right-arm Offbreak
   Description: Shashank Singh, a versatile batting all-rounder, offers stability and flexibility to the team. His ability to contribute with both bat and ball provides balance to the side in crucial moments of the game.

5. Shivam Singh
   – Allrounder
   – Age: 28 years, 24 days
   – Batting: Right-hand
   – Bowling: Right-arm Offbreak
   Description: Shivam Singh, a talented all-rounder, adds depth to the batting and bowling departments with his all-round skills. His ability to chip in with crucial contributions makes him a valuable asset in the team’s quest for success.

BOWLERS

1. Arshdeep Singh
   – Bowler
   – Age: 24 years, 317 days
   – Batting: Left-hand
   – Bowling: Left-arm Medium fast
   Description: Arshdeep Singh, a promising left-arm fast bowler, brings variety and control to the bowling attack. His ability to swing the ball and bowl accurate yorkers makes him a potent weapon in the death overs.

2. Rahul Chahar
   – Bowler
   – Age: 24 years, 137 days
   – Batting: Right-hand
   – Bowling: Legbreak Googly
   Description: Rahul Chahar, a talented leg-spinner, poses a threat to the opposition with his deceptive variations and sharp turn. His ability to pick up crucial wickets in the middle overs makes him a key asset for the team.

3. Nathan Ellis
   – Bowler
   – Age: 29 years, 88 days
   – Batting: Right-hand
   – Bowling: Right-arm Fast medium
   Description: Nathan Ellis, an experienced fast-medium bowler, adds depth to the bowling attack with his pace and bounce. His ability to generate movement off the pitch and bowl accurate yorkers makes him a valuable asset in all formats.

4. Harpreet Brar
   – Bowler
   – Age: 28 years, 94 days
   – Batting: Left-hand
   – Bowling: Slow Left arm Orthodox
   Description: Harpreet Brar, a skilled left-arm spinner, offers control and guile to the bowling unit. His ability to deceive the batsmen with flight and turn makes him a potent threat in the middle overs.

5. Vidwath Kaverappa
   – Bowler
– Age: 24 years, 297 days
   – Batting: Right-hand
   – Bowling: Right-arm Fast medium
   Description: Vidwath Kaverappa, a promising fast-medium bowler, provides pace and aggression to the bowling attack. His ability to extract bounce and seam movement makes him a valuable asset in seaming conditions.

6. Harshal Patel
   – Bowler
   – Age: 33 years, 26 days
   – Batting: Right-hand
   – Bowling: Right-arm Medium
   Description: Harshal Patel, an experienced medium pacer, brings control and variation to the bowling unit. His ability to bowl accurate lines and lengths and pick up crucial wickets in the powerplay and death overs makes him a key asset for the team’s success.

7. Kagiso Rabada
   – Bowler
   – Age: 28 years, 208 days
   – Batting: Left-hand
   – Bowling: Right-arm Fast
   Description: Kagiso Rabada, one of the premier fast bowlers in world cricket, spearheads the team’s pace attack with his raw pace and aggressive bowling. His ability to swing the ball both ways and bowl lethal yorkers makes him a match-winner in all conditions.

8. Prince Choudhary
   – Bowler
   – Age: 24 years, 81 days
   – Batting: Right-hand
   – Bowling: Legbreak
   Description: Prince Choudhary, a talented leg-spinner, provides variety and control to the bowling attack. His ability to deceive the batsmen with his googlies and variations makes him a valuable asset in the middle overs.

9. Ashutosh Sharma
   – Bowler
   – Age: 25 years, 95 days
   – Batting: Right-hand
   – Bowling: Right-arm Offbreak
   Description: Ashutosh Sharma, a proficient off-spinner, adds depth and control to the spin department. His ability to bowl tight lines and extract turn from the surface makes him a valuable asset in containing the opposition batsmen.

10. Vishwanath Singh
    – Bowler
    – Age: 25 years, 184 days
    – Batting: Right-hand
    – Bowling: Right-arm Offbreak
    Description: Vishwanath Singh, an off-spin bowler, provides spin options and control in the middle overs. His ability to vary his pace and flight makes him a valuable asset in building pressure on the opposition batsmen.

11. Tanay Thyagarajan
    – Bowler
    – Age: 28 years, 34 days
    – Batting: Left-hand
    – Bowling: Slow Left arm Orthodox
    Description: Tanay Thyagarajan, a skilled left-arm orthodox spinner, brings variety and control to the bowling attack. His ability to bowl accurate lines and lengths and extract turn from the surface makes him a potent threat in spinning conditions.

Punjab Kings Schedule

Match 1 – (Day/Night) Sat, 23 Mar ’24
Venue – Mullanpur, Indian Premier League
Delhi Capitals Flag
vs
Punjab Kings Flag

Result – PBKS won by 4 wickets (with 4 balls remaining)
Delhi Capitals: 174/9
Punjab Kings: 177/6
(19.2/20 ov, T:175)

—

Match 2 – (Night) Mon, 25 Mar ’24
Venue – Bengaluru, Indian Premier League
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Flag
vs
Punjab Kings Flag
7:30 PM IST
2:00 pm GMT

—

Match 3 – (Night) Sat, 30 Mar ’24
Venue – Lucknow, Indian Premier League
Lucknow Super Giants Flag
vs
Punjab Kings Flag
7:30 PM IST
2:00 pm GMT

—

Match 4 – Thu, 04 Apr ’24
Venue – Ahmedabad, Indian Premier League
Gujarat Titans Flag
vs
Punjab Kings Flag

7:30 PM IST
2:00 pm GMT

History

In 2007, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) introduced the Indian Premier League (IPL), a cricket tournament centered on the Twenty20 format. Auctioned franchises for eight cities were unveiled during an event in Mumbai on 20 February 2008. The Punjab-based team was purchased by a consortium comprising Mohit Burman from the Dabur group (46%), Ness Wadia from the Wadia group (23%), actress Preity Zinta (23%), and Saptarshi Dey from the Dey & Dey Group (with a minor stake). The consortium collectively invested $76 million to secure the franchise rights.

Initially known as the Kings XI Punjab, the franchise’s territorial scope encompassed the regions of Kashmir, Jammu, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Haryana, a fact symbolized by the sequential letters “K J H P H” in the team’s logo banner.

Change of Name

In preparation for the 2021 Indian Premier League, Kings XI Punjab underwent a rebranding and was officially renamed Punjab Kings on 17 February 2021. Ness Wadia, one of the franchise owners, cited the need to “reassess” and refresh the franchise’s identity after participating in 13 IPL seasons. Expressing disappointment over the team’s failure to secure a title, Wadia emphasized the importance of a fresh start following the name change. He revealed that the decision to change the name had been under consideration for two years, with the announcement only delayed due to the impact of COVID-19.

Previous seasons

2008 IPL Season:
Kings XI Punjab started slow but found success with balanced bowling and top-order strength, winning nine of their next ten matches. Shaun Marsh shone, finishing as the top scorer.

2009 IPL Season:
Despite ambitions, Kings XI Punjab faced challenges due to unavailable Australian players and struggled with consistency, finishing fifth.

2010 IPL Season:
Kings XI Punjab had a tough season, managing only one win and finishing last despite some individual performances.

2011 IPL Season:
Kings XI Punjab narrowly missed the playoffs, ending fifth in the points table.

2012 IPL Season:
Kings XI Punjab finished sixth overall, winning eight out of sixteen matches.

2013 IPL Season:
Kings XI Punjab failed to make the playoffs despite David Miller’s heroic century, with Adam Gilchrist retiring at the end of the season.

2014 IPL Season:
Under George Bailey’s captaincy, Kings XI Punjab started strong, reaching the final but lost to Kolkata Knight Riders. They also participated in the CLT20, reaching the semi-finals.

2015 IPL Season:
Kings XI Punjab struggled, winning only three out of fourteen matches and finishing eighth.

2016 IPL Season:
Despite changes in captaincy, Kings XI Punjab finished eighth again with just four wins.

2017 IPL Season:
With Glenn Maxwell as captain and new signings, Kings XI Punjab improved but narrowly missed playoffs, ending fifth.

2018 IPL Season:
Despite a promising start, Kings XI Punjab faltered later, failing to qualify for playoffs despite a strong initial phase.

2019 IPL Season:
Kings XI Punjab ended sixth despite retaining key players like KL Rahul and Chris Gayle.

2020 IPL Season:
Kings XI Punjab made changes in their squad but faced mixed results, ultimately finishing sixth again, with KL Rahul leading as captain.

2021 IPL Season:
In their 14th season, Punjab Kings competed in the Indian Premier League, securing 6 wins out of 14 matches and finishing sixth overall.

2022 IPL Season:
Punjab Kings participated in their 15th IPL season, securing 7 wins out of 14 matches and finishing sixth in the tournament.

2023 IPL Season:
In their 16th season, Punjab Kings were one of the ten teams in the IPL, winning 6 matches out of 14 and finishing eighth overall.