3 weaknesses PBKS failed to address at the IPL 2024 AuctionÂ
Punjab Kings (PBKS), who have been one of the most consistent sides in the Indian Premier League (IPL), have been plagued by the lack of silverware in their trophy cabinet.
Even before they had rebranded themselves as the Punjab Kings, the Kings XI Punjab had often challenged big teams in the IPL and made it to the playoffs on a couple of occasions. They also faltered in the 2014 IPL final.
At the auction held at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai on Wednesday, the team management tried to cover the bases ahead of the 2024 edition of the tournament.
PBKS would have hoped to bring in some players that would have allowed them to challenge for the title. Although they were successful in some regard, they also failed on a few counts.
In this listicle, we bring to you three weaknesses that the Kings failed to address at the IPL 2024 auction:
#1 Lack of Indian middle-order batters
As of now, Punjab do not have a lot of Indian middle-order batters in their ranks. With the inclusion of Shashank Singh, they seemed to be strengthening that department but it was not enough.
Shikhar Dhawan, Harpreet Bhatia, and Prabhsimran Singh are the few other Indian batters in their ranks and inexperience rules the roost apart from a chosen few.
Had they invested more in their middle order, which predominantly consists of overseas players, they would have been able to strike the right squad balance.
#2 Inexperienced Indian spinners
The rule of playing just four overseas players may come back to haunt the Kings as they do not have many experienced Indian spinners in their ranks.
Prince Choudhary, Rahul Chahar, and Harpreet Brar are the only spinners in their lineup who are Indian.
Sure, they have Tanay Thyagarajan and Atharva Taide among others in the all-rounders department, but the lack of experience will hurt the Kings.
Chahar and Brar are the only spinners who have played consistently in the IPL and know the tournament well. It remains to be seen how the Kings go about with such an inexperienced spin-bowling unit.
#3 Just two wicketkeepers in the entire squad
One of the biggest weaknesses that have come to light in the Punjab Kings squad is the lack of genuine wicketkeepers.
Jitesh Sharma and Jonny Bairstow are the only two wicketkeepers in the entire squad, and this can be quite tricky.
Injuries to either can put a lot of pressure on the other, especially since Bairstow is a foreigner and will take up one of the four overseas slots.
This was a department that the Kings could have invested in; picking an inexperienced, young wicketkeeper who played understudy to the two mentioned above would have solved their problems.