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PBKS IPL 2023 Preview: One of the eight original teams in the Indian Premier League, the Punjab Kings, or Kings XI Punjab before the 2021 season, have over the years made an name for themselves as the perennial underachievers. And it’s for good reason that PBKS have this impression, which they will desperately be looking to shake off heading into the 16th season of the IPL.

Punjab, after all, have made the playoffs just twice in the history of the tournament, in the inaugural edition in 2008 where they lost to Chennai Super Kings, and in 2014, their only appearance in an IPL final till date where they lost to the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Since the highs of the runner-up finish in 2014, Punjab have finished at the bottom of the table twice and have finished sixth in each of the last four editions (with the 2022 tournament being a 10-team affair).

A possible reason as to why PBKS has underwhelmed in the last eight seasons could be the lack of a solid core, a central tenet in team sport. Another reason could be leadership-related, with Punjab having frequently changed captains — Shikhar Dhawan is their 14th skipper in 16 editions. Also, the last time Punjab had the same captain for more than two seasons was Adam Gilchrist between 2011 and 2013.

In Dhawan, however, Punjab have a tried-and-tested leader, someone who has been leading the Indian team in the absence of the Virat Kohlis and Rohit Sharmas in recent years, someone who knows how to get the best out of his side, especially younger players. And given Dhawan was their leading run-scorer in the last season with 460 runs at an average of 38.33, the veteran southpaw will hope to lead from the front this season.

IPL 2023 Factbox | Everything you need to know about PBKS

Punjab had created a new record in the player auction in December by shelling out more than Rs 18 crore for England all-rounder Sam Curran, making him the most expensive player of all time in the league. Curran, who debuted with PBKS in 2019 before representing Chennai Super Kings in 2020 and 2021, is expected to play a major role this season and will hope to prove his money’s worth.

Besides Curran, focus will also be on Liam Livingstone, an explosive middle-order option who played every game last season for the Kings, collecting 437 runs at an average of 36.42 at a mind-boggling strike-rate of 182.08.

Another individual who could help Punjab end their nine-year wait for a playoffs appearance is Zimbabwean Sikandar Raza, who was an absolute steal at the auction as he was purchased at his base price of Rs 50 lakh. Raza, like Curran, had a terrific run in the T20 World Cup Down Under and also played an all-round role in Lahore Qalandars’s path to title victory in the 2023 edition of the Pakistan Super League.

But a major worry for the Kings will be the absence of Jonny Bairstow, who is yet to recover from the foot injury that he suffered while playing golf last year. The Englishman has proved to quite handy, whether batting in the top three or in the middle, striking at over 140 in each of the last two seasons of the IPL, and substituting him will be no mean feat even though Australia’s Matthew Short, his replacement in the squad this season, finished the second-highest run-scorer in the Big Bash League in January, scoring 458 runs at an average and strike rate of 35.23 and 144.47 respectively, including a century.

Past performances:

Possible XI:

Shikhar Dhawan, Matthew Short, Raj Bawa, Liam Livingstone, M Shahrukh Khan, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sam Curran, Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh, Vidwath Kaverappa, Rahul Chahar

Squad:

Shikhar Dhawan (c), 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

Schedule:

1 April — vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Mohali (3:30 PM)

5 April — vs Rajasthan Royals, Guwahati (7:30 PM)

9 April — vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, Hyderabad (7:30 PM)

13 April — vs Gujarat Titans, Mohali (7:30 PM )

15 April — vs Lucknow Super Giants, Lucknow (7:30 PM)

20 April — vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mohali (3:30 PM )

22 April — vs Mumbai Indians, Mumbai (7:30 PM)

28 April — vs Lucknow Super Giants, Mohali (7:30 PM)

30 April — vs Chennai Super Kings, Chennai (3:30 PM)

3 May — vs Mumbai Indians, Mohali (7:30 PM)

8 May — vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Kolkata (7:30 PM)

13 May — vs Delhi Capitals, Delhi (7:30 PM)

17 May — vs Delhi Capitals, Dharamsala (7:30 PM)

19 May — vs Rajasthan Royals, Dharamsala (7:30 PM)

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