Punjab Kings IPL 2023 Preview

The Punjab Kings’ quest for a maiden IPL title continues in season 16, and after another disappointing sixth-place finish in 2022, the Mohali-based franchise have shuffled the pack once again in the off-season. The Kings released captain Mayank Agarwal following an underwhelming campaign with the bat in 2022, with Shikhar Dhawan taking over as captain this year, while Trevor Bayliss replaces Anil Kumble as head coach.

Punjab strengthened their squad significantly with the purchase of Sam Curran at the 2023 auction for a record price tag, but the Kings’ were dealt a major blow in the leadup to the competition with Jonny Bairstow ruled out for the season as he continues to recover from a broken leg and ankle.

Player to watch out for: Liam Livingstone

Liam Livingstone enjoyed a breakout campaign for the Punjab Kings in IPL 2022, scoring 437 runs in 14 matches at an astonishing strike rate of 182. Only Dinesh Karthik managed to score quicker than Livingstone last year amongst batters who faced at least 200 deliveries, and the Englishman’s ability to take on the bowlers from ball one makes him one of the most destructive batters in the competition.

In addition to his monstrous power-hitting, Livingstone is a handy sixth-bowling option with his part-time spin. The all-rounder can bowl off-spin and leg-spin depending on the matchup required and took six wickets in IPL 2022 and a decent economy of 8.7.

Strengths

Punjab’s home grounds for the 2023 season in Mohali and Dharamsala could be one of the most conducive to fast bowling in the competition, and the Kings have one of the most formidable pace attacks in the IPL with Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh, and Sam Curran. All three of them can operate in the powerplay and at the death overs and could be a handful for opposition teams to deal with on surfaces that offer some movement.

Weaknesses

With Jonny Bairstow ruled out for the entire season due to an injury and Mayank Agarwal not retained, the Punjab Kings lack firepower at the top of the order with the bat. While Shikhar Dhawan has scored over 450 runs in each of his last seven seasons in the IPL, the left-hander is not a fast starter and has shown some signs of decline in white-ball cricket at the age of 37.

The Kings also don’t have a wealth of options to partner Dhawan at the top. Australian all-rounder Matthew Short was signed on as Bairstow’s replacement following his breakout Big Bash season but is still unproven at the highest level, while Prabhsimran Singh has only managed 64 runs in his six IPL innings.

Probable Playing XI

Shikhar Dhawan, Matthew Short, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma, Shahrukh Khan, Sam Curran, Harpreet Brar, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh