The Punjab team in the Indian Playerzpot League has been an important stakeholder ever since the beginning. Although in their long history of the competition, they are being termed as the pushover team that has good potential but always fails to deliver. The management team at Punjab has taken serious note of this and has made some big moves this summer to get this team across the line in terms of success and making a name for themselves.
Talk about the changes, the highlight for Punjab was when they broke the bank in getting hold of S. Curran at the auction. They paid a whopping sum of INR 18.50 crore for the English all-rounder a record-breaking fee in the history of the tournament. Another Englishman was a major highlight of their auction, they brought in experienced wicket-keeper batter J. Bairstow to further strengthen the core of the team.
Punjab by no means has a weak squad, they have got S. Dhawan leading the charge and young guns like K. Rabada and A, Singh took up the lead roles in the bowling attack. The concern for Punjab is that they often dig a hole for themselves be it in terms of belief or rising to the occasion. They somehow feel like a side that has accepted its fate, but this season with the personnel at their disposal perhaps it is their season to conquer.
Key Players for Punjab Team
S. Dhawan
The experienced Indian opener knows a thing or two about leading the charge of a T20 team. Popularly known as ‘Gabbar’, Dhawan has a reputation for hitting the ball fearlessly, the only approach for him seems to be to go on the offensive rather than defense. His run-scoring tally was healthy in the last season he played for Punjab, scoring 460 runs in 14 games he had an average of 38.33. Moreover, with 6244 runs he is the second-highest run-scorer in the history of the competition. So Punjab indeed has a serial run scorer in their ranks and needless to say the spotlight will be on him.
R. Chahar
The young 24-year leg spinner was one of the young guns who came up big last season. He forms a good pairing in the team where the pacers are the ones that take up most of the spotlight. 14 wickets last time around was a good showing on his end and he himself will be eager to improve this tally. Confidence is certainly a trait that he does not lack but good guidance and tactical sharpness would add more value to his game.
A. Singh
Speaking of the young bowling attack from the Punjab side you just can’t not talk about the left-arm pacer A. Singh. Having taken the 2022 season by storm he indeed was an influential figure, he is a specialist pacer with a good knack of variation in his bowling and is also well known as a death-over specialist. Slowly he is starting to take up the leading role in Punjab’s bowling lineup and this year certainly the expectation riding on his shoulders will be high. Having now played for the national team too, the fear of performing on the big stage is out the window and we hope what comes next from A. Singh is pure magic.
S. Curran
There is a reason why Punjab went all in for S. Curran, all-rounders are quite in demand these days in the T20 format and this is why they got hold of the best one available. He has 13 wickets to his name in a title-winning campaign during the T20 World Cup of 2022. Well, his purchase seems like Punjab has put all its eggs in one basket and is hoping for the best. Is Curran a good pick for Punjab or will he turn out to be another big purchase that did not live up to his billing, only time will tell.
K. Rabada
By far he is one bowler in the Punjab camp that oozes class and talent, the experienced South African pacer has made quite a name for himself on the international stage and is looking to do the same in the Indian Playerzpot League with Punjab. He is a vital cog for the team, as he brought in the good with his lethal pace. With 23 wickets to his name last season he was Punjab’s leading wicket-taker, the duo of A. Singh and Rabada is brewing up really well and if they are to play out of their skins they could take this team to new heights.
Punjab Squad
Punjab: S. Dhawan, B. Rajapaksa, J. Sharma, J. Bairstow, P. Singh, A. Taide, H. Brar, L. Livingston, R. Bawa, R. Dhawan, S. Khan, A. Singh, B. Dhanda, K. Rabada, N. Ellis, R. Chahar, S. Curran, S. Raza, H. Bhatia, V. Kaverappa, M. Rathee, S. Singh.
Predicted Playing X1
Punjab: S. Dhawan [C], P. Singh, B. Rajapaksa, L. Livingston, S. Khan, J. Sharma, R. Dhawan, S. Curran, K. Rabada, A. Singh, R. Chahar.
