Punjab Kings In IPL 2022: Kagiso Rabada, Jonny Bairstow Lend Balance To PBKS

Punjab Kings have been a part of the Indian Premier League since the inaugural edition but haven’t won the title yet. The closest they came to winning the IPL was in 2014. (PBKS IPL 2022 SCHEDULE)

Punjab Kings' (then Kings XI Punjab) opponents in the 2014 IPL final Kolkata Knight Riders needed to score 11 runs off the last 7 balls in the high-pressure game. Mitchell Joshnson bowled a bouncer to Piyush Chawla who struck it for a six over deep backward square leg and changed the equation of the game.

Since then, Punjab Kings have failed to make it the playoffs of IPL. However, IPL 2022 will give some added hope to the team as it will be featuring some new and amazing players in the tournament.

PBKS have invested in quality bowlers like Kagiso Rabada and Rahul Chahar while Jonny Bairstow will add muscle to the top order where Shikhar Dhawan will be a pillar alongside skipper Mayank Agarwal.

There will be enough experience in the dressing room with Anil Kumble and Jonty Rhodes around.

Here is the full Punjab Kings squad:

OVERSEAS

Kagiso Rabada (INR 9.25 crore)

The right-arm pacer from South Africa is one the highly rated fast bowlers in the world. Kagiso Rabada’s variations make him further dangerous. His best figures in IPL are 4/21. Rabada can also be handy with the bat.

Jonny Bairstow (INR 6.75 crore)

He is an attacking wicketkeeper-batsman from England who doesn’t shy away from playing aerial shots with extreme power. Jonny Bairstow can bat at the top as well as the middle order. His best score in IPL is 114 and strike rate is over 140.

Liam Livingstone (INR 11.50 crore)

The right-handed batsman from England is one of the finest players in T20 cricket. Liam Livingstone’s best score in the format is 103 while his strike rate is near 145. IPL is yet to see the best of this player, yet PBKS invested huge sum on him trusting his abilities.

Odean Smith (INR 6 crore)

The Caribbean right-arm pacer clocks over 140 kmph with ease. Additionally, Odean Smith has a short run-up that makes the batting against him tough. Besides this, Odean Smith is also a clean striker of the ball and can be really useful in the slog overs.

Nathan Ellis (INR 75 lakh)

The right-arm medium pacer from Australia has some serious pace in his bowling. Nathan Ellis’ variations and quality yorkers make him a good option for the death overs. Ellis is the first bowler to claim a hat-trick on T20I debut. His best T20 figures are 4/34.

Benny Howell (INR 40 lakh)

The French-born Benny Howell is a batting all-rounder. He bats right-handed and bowls right-arm medium fast. His best T20 score is 57, while his best figures are 5/18.

Bhanuka Rajapaksa (INR 50 lakh)

The 30-year-old left-handed batter from Sri Lanka plays attacking cricket. Bhanuka Rajapaksa’s best T20 score is 96 not out. The top-order batsman also bowls part-time medium-fast. His best figures in the format are 3/11.

CAPPED INDIAN PLAYERS

Shikhar Dhawan (INR 8.25 crore)

The left-handed batter from Delhi boasts a good IPL record. Averaging over 34, Shikhar Dhawan is close to 6000 IPL runs. His best score in the tournament is 106. He is a reliable opening batsman who scores at a decent pace.

Mayank Agarwal (Retained, INR 12 crore)

The newly-made captain of Punjab Kings replaces KL Rahul at the post. Mayank Agarwal bats at the top of the order and scores at a brisk pace. His best score in IPL is 106. Besides this, he is also a good fielder.

Sandeep Sharma (INR 50 lakh)

The right-arm pacer from Punjab is adept in swinging the new ball. Sandeep Sharma’s best figures in IPL are 4/20 while his economy is below 8.

Rahul Chahar (INR 5.25 crore)

The right-arm leg-break bowler from Rajasthan has a good googly. He bowls at higher speed and that just adds more quality to his bowling. Rahul Chahar’s economy in IPL is around 7.5, while his best figures in the tournament are 4/27.

UNCAPPED INDIAN PLAYERS

Arshdeep Singh (Retained, INR 4 crore)

The left-arm pacer from Punjab knows how to keep composure in pressure situations.

Arshdeep Singh has to justify the faith that head coach Anil Kumble has on him. BCCI

Arshdeep Singh has been extremely useful for Punjab Kings mainly in the death overs. 5/32 are Arshdeep’s best IPL figures.

Shahrukh Khan (INR 9 crore)

The right-handed batsman from Tamil Nadu is an amazing hitter of the cricket ball. Shahrukh Khan made his IPL debut last year playing for PBKS. Shahrukh Khan’s highest score in IPL is 47.

Prabhsimran Singh (INR 60 lakh)

He is an explosive wicketkeeper-batsman. While Prabhsimran Singh is yet to impress with his performance in IPL, his best T20 score is 116 not out.

Harpreet Brar (INR 3.80 crore)

He is an all-rounder who bats left-handed and bowls left-arm orthodox. While 3/19 are his best figures in IPL, Harpreet Brar’s best score as batter is 25.

Harpreet Brar is a big match player. Can he shine in IPL 2022? BCCI

Jitesh Sharma (INR 20 lakh)

The 28-year-old is a wicketkeeper-batsman. Jitesh Sharma is a right-handed player and bats at the top order. In T20s, his highest score is 106 and his strike rate is over 140.

Ishan Porel (INR 25 lakh)

The right-arm pacer from Bengal rose to limelight after registering figures of 4/17 against Pakistan at the 2018 U-19 World Cup semifinal in Christchurch. Ishan Porel extracts good bounce from the pitch in his bowling.

Rishi Dhawan (INR 55 lakh)

He is a right-handed bowling all-rounder. Rishi Dhawan, who bowls medium fast, has 2/14 as his best IPL figures. His economy is below 8.

Prerak Mankad (INR 20 lakh)

The 27-year-old from Saurashtra is a right-handed batsman who also bowls right-arm medium fast. Prerak Mankad’s best T20 score is 72, while his best figures in the format are 4/48.

This will be India U-19 Raj Angad Bawa’s first IPL. BCCI

Raj Angad Bawa (INR 2 crore)

The 19-year-old Raj Angad Bawa was the star of India’s 2022 U-19 World Cup winning team. He is the highest individual scorer from India in a single innings of U-19 World Cup. He bats left-handed and also bowls left-arm medium pace. This will be his maiden IPL.

Vaibhav Arora (INR 2 crore)

The right-arm swing bowler is a promising cricketer. Vaibhav Arora was earlier a part of Kolkata Knight Riders team, but didn’t get to play any game for the side. His best T20 figures are 3/16.

Writtick Chatterjee (INR 20 lakh)

The all-rounder from Bengal is a right-handed batsman who is also useful as a right-arm off-break bowler. Writtick Chatterjee’s best T20 figures are 3/12, while his highest score in the format is 51.