AI-predicted IPL 2025 squad for PBKS ft. Rishabh Pant, Jake Fraser-McGurk
Punjab Kings (PBKS) has been one of the most inconsistent teams in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL). They finished ninth last season with just five wins and ten points throughout the tournament.
Still in the hunt for their maiden IPL title, the Punjab Kings are looking for a complete overhaul at the auction this time around. Not so surprisingly, they retained only two players in the form of Prabhsimran Singh and Shashank Singh.
Quite obviously, the Punjab-based franchise will need to build a new squad from scratch. They will need a solid opening pair, an equally balanced middle order with enough firepower, and key all-rounders who can provide value to the team.
Surprisingly, they let go of Harshal Patel, who won the Purple Cap last season, along with Arshdeep Singh, who was also among the top wicket-takers in IPL 2024. That said, the most important task for them will be to build a strong bowling attack, as they aim to gather a squad that can win the IPL.
Meta AI has predicted its own squad for the Punjab Kings ahead of the upcoming auction. Let us take a look at the squad predicted by the AI tool.
AI-predicted IPL 2025 squad for PBKS
Top Order - Prabhsimran Singh, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Ben McDermott, Daryl Mitchell
Prabhsimran Singh is among the only two players retained by PBKS ahead of the IPL 2025 auction. He put up consistent performances in 2023 (358 runs) and 2024 (334 runs).
Explosive and emerging Australian talent Jake Fraser-McGurk can open the innings along with Prabhsimran, as Meta AI has predicted McGurk to be signed by PBKS.
The AI tool has also predicted that PBKS will rope in Ben McDermott and Daryl Mitchell, who are also decent overseas options to partner Prabhsimran at the top of the order.
Middle Order - Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz Khan, and Anmolpreet Singh
According to Meta AI, Punjab Kings will make the marquee signing of Rishabh Pant. On his comeback last year, Pant scored 446 runs last year. He can not only bolster their batting but also lead the side.
Additionally, the AI tool has suggested that Punjab will bring in Sarfaraz Khan, who has performed well in domestic and international cricket in the recent past. A right-handed batter and local lad, Anmolpreet Singh is another prediction made by the tool.
All-rounders - Shashank Singh, Sikandar Raza, Akeal Hosein, and Swapnil Singh
Surprisingly, Punjab Kings did not retain Shashank Singh, who was among their top run-getters last season. Shashank slammed 354 runs, including an unbeaten 29-ball 61 against Gujarat Titans. Meta AI predicts that PBKS will buy him back at the IPL 2025 auction.
Sikandar Raza is another player whom Punjab will buy back, as predicted by Meta AI. Raza comes with a truckload of T20 experience, having played for several franchises across numerous leagues all around the globe. He can add immense value with both bat and ball.
The AI tool also suggests that Punjab will bring in Swapnil Singh. The left-arm spinner showed glimpses of his potential playing for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in last year's IPL. He can open the bowling in the powerplay and can tonk a few blows down the order as well.
As per Meta AI, PBKS will also sign Akeal Hosein, who again, carries the experience of having played in various T20 leagues.
Bowlers - Adam Zampa, Lungi Ngidi, Mukesh Choudhary, Tushar Deshpande, Saurabh Kumar, Kuldeep Sen, Anshul Kamboj, and Arshdeep Singh
Arshdeep Singh picked up 19 wickets last IPL for Punjab Kings and was a shocking release. However, Meta AI has predicted that the franchise will buy him back at the auction.
The AI tool has also suggested that Punjab will acquire the services of Adam Zampa, who is a specialist leg-spinner in this format. Left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar is another name suggested to be signed by Punjab.
Along with Arshdeep, the tool has also predicted that PBKS will add to the variety of their fast-bowling attack, including players such as Mukesh Choudhary, Tushar Deshpande, Kuldeep Sen, and Anshul Kamboj.
Additionally, South African Lungi Ngidi is another overseas pacer that PBKS will rope in as per Meta AI.