Time for Punjab Kings Preview edition.
IPL 2020 was ‘What Could Have Been’ for (then) KXIP. Kings XI Punjab no more, will the name change bring the much needed luck?
Here is my preview. What do you think?
Also Read: IPL 2021 Auctions Review, KXIP All-Time XI
IPL History
2014 (Runners-Up), 2008 (3rd)
How Did They Do Last Year?
6th. Results do not convey the whole story however.
- Mayank Agarwal was the highlight for the first half with KL Rahul getting the Orange Cap (although his SR was in question).
- Nicholas Pooran’s catch. Just watch it again. Best fielding side by a mile. Of course, with Jonty Rhodes as fielding coach, expectations are very high.
- Super Overs, Double Super Overs. On the receiving end of some bad luck, but had themselves to blame.
Injury & COVID-19 News
One of the only teams to not receive any bad news as of yet. Hopefully things go as planned for PBKS.
Complete Punjab Kings Squad
Batsman: Mayank Agarwal, Sarfaraz Khan, Mandeep Singh, Prabhsimran Singh, Shahrukh Khan
Fast Medium: Arshdeep Singh, Mohammad Shami, Ishan Porel
Spinners: Murugan Ashwin, Harpreet Brar, Ravi Bishnoi
All-Rounders: Deepak Hooda, Jalaj Saxena, Darshan Nalkande, Saurabh Kumar, Utkarsh Singh
WK: KL Rahul*
Overseas: Fabian Allen, Chris Gayle, Moises Henriques, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan, Riley Meredith, Nicholas Pooran, Jhye Richardson
*Captain
Predicted PBKS XI
- KL Rahul (C/WK), 2. Mayank Agarwal, 3. Dawid Malan/Chris Gayle, 4. Nicholas Pooran, 5. Deepak Hooda, 6. Shahrukh Khan, 7. Fabian Allen/ Moises Henriques, 8. Arshdeep Singh, 9. Chris Jordan/ Jhye Richardson, 10. Mohammad Shami, 11. Ravi Bishnoi
Watch Out For
- Chris Gayle. Yes the same one. He is targeting a 3rd World T20I title and might even play till the age of 45. Gayle, KL Rahul, & Mayank Agarwal back in Bangalore. PBKS are scheduled to play their last 5 games at Bangalore. Carnage from the home boys?
- From the bottom of my heart, I believe Nicholas Pooran is the next big star of world cricket. This has to be his year either in the IPL or the World T20I. Hopefully both. If you have not read his story, read it below. Truly inspirational stuff.
Also Read: Nicholas Pooran, A Story of Pain, Hope, & Inspiration
Where Can Things Go Wrong For the Kings?
Going back to the Chinnaswamy is good news…for the batsmen. Not so much for the death bowling. Chris Jordan is one of the world’s best exponent of the yorker, but his England form has been off color in 2020-21. Arshdeep was impressive, but this bowling unit does not give me confidence.
Venues & Fixtures
Venues
Bangalore- 5, Ahmedabad- 4, Mumbai- 3, Chennai- 2
Fixtures
- 12 April: RR vs PBKS (Mumbai)
- 16 April: PBKS vs CSK (Mumbai)
- 18 April: DC vs PBKS (Mumbai)
- 21 April: PBKS vs SRH (Chennai)
- 23 April: PBKS vs MI (Chennai)
- 26 April: PBKS vs KKR (Ahmedabad)
- 30 April: PBKs vs RCB (Ahmedabad)
- 2 May: PBKS vs DC (Ahmedabad)
- 6 May: RCB vs PBKS (Ahmedabad)
- 9 May: CSK vs PBKS (Bangalore)
- 13 May: MI vs PBKS (Bangalore)
- 15 May: KKR vs PBKS (Bangalore)
- 19 May: SRH vs PBKS (Bangalore)
- 22 May: PBKS vs RR (Bangalore)
- 25 May: Qualifier 1 (Ahmedabad)
- 26 May: Eliminator (Ahmedabad)
- 28 May: Qualifier 2 (Ahmedabad)
- 30 May: Final (Ahmedabad)
Prediction
The good news? Punjab play 4 games in Ahmedabad before they head to Bangalore. So if they make it to the qualifiers, they will have good experience of the conditions under their belt.
If they can win their Super Overs this time around, PBKS will be the team to watch out for.
Prediction | 2nd |
Most Runs | Nicholas Pooran |
Most Wickets | Ravi Bishnoi |
Emerging Player | Shahrukh Khan, the finisher |
Surprise Package | Fabian Allen |
X Factor | Chris Gayle |
Broken Cricket Dream | Dawid Malan, the No. 1 T20I batsman of 2020, has had some questions around his place recently. With Gayle breathing down his neck, can Malan come on his own in the IPL? |
What do you think of the Punjab Kings Preview? Your First XI? Will they make the IPL 2021 qualifiers?
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Copyright (2021: 4/3/2021)– @Nitesh Mathur, aka Nit-X – bcd@brokokencricketdreams.com
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