Punjab Kings IPL 2021 Part II Preview

Although the Punjab Kings sported a new name and a reshuffled squad of players in IPL 2021, it was the same old story for the team from Mohali as they struggled to find consistency in phase one of the competition. The Punjab Kings find themselves in sixth position in the table with five losses from eight games, and KL Rahul’s side face an uphill task if they wish to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since the 2014 season.

Season Recap

The Punjab Kings got their season off to a thrilling start with a nail-biting last-ball victory over the Rajasthan Royals, but they followed that exhilarating victory with three defeats on the spin against the Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals and even the struggling Sunrisers Hyderabad. 

Although Punjab were able to beat top-half sides like the Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore in their final four games before the season’s suspension, KL Rahul’s side have failed to win back-to-back games in the first half of the campaign.

Best performer

Once again, KL Rahul did most of the heavy lifting for the Punjab Kings from the top of the order and the IPL 2020 Orange Cap holder was back amongst the top run-getters of the tournament. Rahul scored 331 runs in seven matches at a strike rate of 136, and it was his contributions of 91 vs RR, 60* vs MI and 91* against RCB which gave Punjab their three victories so far this season.

Biggest area of concern

Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith were brought in this season to beef up Punjab’s pace attack, but both Aussie quicks struggled in the first half of the campaign. Meredith and Richardson picked up only seven wickets between them in the eight games they played, and both bowlers also leaked runs at a fair clip with an economy rate of over 9.9 runs per over.

The other major worry for Punjab was the form of Nicholas Pooran – who scored only 28 runs in seven matches and registered a mind-boggling four ducks in the first half of the campaign.

Team News

Punjab Kings invested heavily in Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith in the 2021 IPL auction, but after sub-par performances from the two Aussie pacers in the first half of the campaign, both Richardson and Meredith are also unavailable for phase two of the campaign in the UAE.

The duo have been replaced by Australian fast-bowler Nathan Ellis and English leg-spinner Adil Rashid, while Aiden Markram has also been roped in place of the ICC World number one ranked T20I batter – Dawid Malan – who managed only one outing in IPL 2021.

Probable XI: KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Chris Jordan, Mohammad Shami, Ravi Bishnoi, Nathan Ellis