The goal of Punjab Kings’ (PBKS) IPL 2025 campaign is to win their first-ever championship. Ahead of the season, the team has completely restructured its roster in an effort to end their trophy drought.
Choosing a new strategy, PBKS made audacious moves in the mega auction and kept only two uncapped players, Prabhsimran Singh and Shasank Singh. For INR 26.75 crore, the team made a huge acquisition in Shreyas Iyer, giving him the captaincy. Additionally, they acquired seasoned Indian players Arshdeep Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal, the latter of whom was acquired via a Right to Match (RTM) card.
The Kings added Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Josh Inglis, and Azmatullah Omarzai to their roster through foreign imports. They also brought in promising IPL rookies like Xavier Bartlett and Suryansh Shedge in an effort to have a well-rounded blend of new talent and experience.
Squad:
Shreyas Iyer (c), Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Nehal Wadhera, Glenn Maxwell, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Yash Thakur, Harpreet Brar, Vishnu Vinod, Marco Jansen, Lockie Ferguson, Josh Inglis, Xavier Bartlett, Kuldeep Sen, Pyla Avinash, Suryansh Shedge, Musheer Khan, Harnoor Pannu, Aaron Hardie, Priyansh Arya, Azmatullah Omarzai
Probable Playing XI:
1 Prabhsimran Singh, 2 Josh Inglis (wk), 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Nehal Wadhera, 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Shashank Singh, 8 Marco Jansen, 9 Harpreet Brar, 10 Vijaykumar Vyshak, 11 Arshdeep Singh, 12 Yuzvendra Chahal.
Key Players:
Omarzai:
Omarzai has been a key player for Afghanistan, his recent performances in the Champions Trophy were great as well. And he must get a chance from the word go as he can chip in with both batting and bowling.
Strengths:
Shreyas Iyer will be the main engine behind Punjab Kings’ aspirations to win the championship. Iyer was instrumental in the 2024 Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) championship run, and PBKS will be hoping he instills that winning mindset in their team.
In addition to his leadership, he has been a reliable batsman for the past two IPL seasons, scoring over 750 runs. The Kings’ hitting lineup gains steadiness and experience with his presence.
Arshdeep Singh and Marco Jansen are also a strong new-ball combination for PBKS. They could destroy rival top orders early and establish the tone of the power play with their height and swing-generating ability.
Weakness:
Iyer and Marcus Stoinis offer some steadiness, but there aren’t any established, productive superstars in the PBKS batting lineup. Once a game-winner, Glenn Maxwell has displayed signs of deterioration, as evidenced by his lackluster play the previous season.
The squad is counting on a number of inexperienced and underperforming players to rise up, but depending on erratic play could make winning difficult.
Fixtures:
25 March: vs Gujarat Titans
1 April: vs Lucknow SuperGiants
5 April: vs Rajasthan Royals
8 April: vs Chennai Super Kings
12 April: vs Sunrisers Hyderabad
15 April: vs Kolkata Knight Riders
18 April: vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
20 April: vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
26 April: vs Kolkata Knight Riders
30 April: vs Chennai Super Kings
4 May: vs Lucknow Super Giants
8 May: vs Delhi Capitals
11 May: vs Mumbai Indians
16 May: vs Rajasthan Royals
Creating a cohesive team out of a roster of new hires is never easy, but it can be very rewarding if done well. Ricky Ponting is one of the best people for this job.
The Australian veteran has a talent for honing undeveloped talent, and Punjab Kings might become a powerful team if he can bring out the best in players like Nehal, Shashank, and Prabhsimran.
