3 best IPL 2025 retention combinations for PBKS ft. Arshdeep Singh & Prabhsimran Singh
The Punjab Kings (PBKS) have been perennial underperformers in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Even in the 2024 campaign, the one-time finalists were never really in contention for the playoffs.
The road ahead for the Punjab Kings might not be straightforward. With most other teams having enough of a core to build around, Punjab need to seriously weigh up their options and consider whether it's worth retaining the men who took them through IPL 2024.
At the same time, however, the Kings will need to be wary of not having enough names on their roster before entering the auction. Although the 2025 event is a mega auction, there might not be enough quality players available to fill all the gaps.
On that note, here are the three best IPL 2025 retention combinations for PBKS.
#3 Retain the entire core - Curran (18) + Arshdeep (14) + Harshal (11) + Prabhsimran (4) + Shashank (4)
If Punjab don't want to enter the auction without enough names in their ranks already, they could consider keeping hold of a good chunk of their core. Even then, it isn't realistic for them to use all five capped retention slots.
Sam Curran, a pace-bowling all-rounder who can bowl across phases, will be in high demand at the auction. Despite his IPL 2024 performances not justifying his price tag, PBKS might have no option but to retain him.
Arshdeep Singh is one of India's lead bowlers and could be retained in the second bracket. Harshal Patel had an excellent campaign in IPL 2024 while bowling at the death, and given how rare his profile is, he might not be the worst contender to be retained either.
Shashank Singh and Prabhsimran Singh, as two of the key cogs in the batting department, could also be secured with the two uncapped slots. This would sort out the backbone of the team before the auction.
#2 Get bold with it - Prabhsimran (4) + Ashutosh (4)
Prices are unlikely to be inflated in a mega auction, and all three of Curran, Arshdeep, and Harshal might be sold for fewer than their retention slabs. Moreover, with PBKS likely to enjoy having a large purse to go with their RTM cards, they might want to start afresh.
So Punjab could retain just Prabhsimran and Ashutosh Sharma with their uncapped slots while looking to bring back the other three at the auction. Ashutosh is arguably more dynamic retention than Shashank - not only is he younger, but he also has a ton of power in his arms that could make him a valuable T20 asset in the IPL.
#1 Retain just the essentials - Curran (18) + Arshdeep (14) + Prabhsimran (4)
With Cameron Green likely to miss IPL 2025, and others like Ben Stokes being up in the air regarding their participation in the tournament as well, fast-bowling all-rounders will be tough to find at the auction. So will all-phase Indian pacers, since most teams are bound to keep hold of their scarce resources.
Curran and Arshdeep thus become viable candidates to be retained. They would tick off two important boxes for Punjab, with Prabhsimran serving as the lone uncapped retention given his ability to maximize the powerplay and wicket-keeping.
The others might not be too tough to reacquire for PBKS, giving them the right balance between roster, purse, and RTMs.