In this article, we offer you our SWOT analysis of the Punjab Kings (PBKS) following the IPL 2025 Mega Auction.
Strength
The Punjab Kings went into the Mega Auction with the biggest purse on the table, and their management made quite the splash by getting the likes of Shreyas Iyer (INR 26.75 crore), Arshdeep Singh (INR 18 crore), and Yuzvendra Chahal (INR 18 crore).
The new Ricky Ponting–led PBKS management has made quite a few shrewd and sensible acquisitions this time round, having also brought in as many as five Australian players.
The Kings have an explosive opening duo in Prabhsimran Singh and Josh Inglis, with the likes of Marcus Stoinis, Shreyas Iyer, Glenn Maxwell, and Shashank Singh carrying the power-hitting responsibilities further down the batting order.
The Kings have also done well to bring a solid mix of international and local bowlers that will suite the surface at their new home ground. While Marco Jensen and Arshdeep Singh will take the new ball, the likes of Harpreet Brar, Chahal, and Vijaykumar Vyshak will control the middle overs.
Weakness
However, when you look at the PBKS batting lineup, there’s isn’t one batter that stands out and screams 550–600 runs a season. While all six of their mainline batters have the aggressive game in them, none of them have shown enough consistency in recent times to warrant putting faith in them.
As things stand, Iyer, who will most likely be the new Kings skipper, will have to play the anchor role for the team, with the others taking on the power-hitting duties.
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Opportunity
After three fruitful seasons with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Maxwell endured one of his worst IPL campaigns to date last season with just 52 runs from nine innings. Since then, the 36-year-old has had good campaigns in the T20 World Cup and Major League Cricket. With Punjab appearing light on the batting front, it’ll be crucial for someone like Maxwell to step up and make it count.
Another player who might play a big role next season is Shashank Singh. The 33-year-old was one of the few bright sparks in the last PBKS campaign. The Chhattisgarh-based player scored 354 runs at a strike-rate of 164 batting while coming in at #6 or #7. However, since last season, Shashank has had a torrid time, faring miserably both in the Chhattisgarh Premier League and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Thus, Ponting and Co will want the likes of Maxwell and Shashank to regain some form ahead of the tournament if the PBKS are to challenge for a playoff spot.
Threat
Like most PBKS teams after an auction, the current squad has a good mix of players, but gelling the players together will be key. More importantly, there are quite a few question marks hanging over some of their key players, and getting them back in form and building chemistry at the same time will be their biggest challenge. Their bowlers are more than capable of turning any game on its head, but they’ll need support from the batters to make it deep into the tournament.
Probable XII: Prabhsimran Singh, Josh Inglis (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Shreyas Iyer, Glenn Maxwell, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar, Vijayakumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Nehal Wadhera (Impact Sub)
Prediction: 8th
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Ashytin
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