Punjab Kings predicted XI for IPL 2021
The Punjab Kings (PBKS) were among the more entertaining teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL) last year, but fell narrowly short of the playoffs.
After having made a number of expensive purchases in the IPL 2021 auction, PBKS will come into the tournament with renewed confidence as they attempt to win the title for the first time in their history.
PBKS had a massive purse to spend in the auction, and they spent a significant portion of it to beef up their pace attack. Big Bash League stars Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith were signed for a combined INR 22 crores, while overseas all-rounders Moises Henriques and Fabian Allen also made their way to the team.
In the Indian category, PBKS signed explosive Tamil Nadu batsman Shahrukh Khan for a big sum, followed by Jalaj Saxena, Utkarsh Singh and Saurabh Kumar. #1-ranked T20I batsman in the world, Dawid Malan, was the team's final acquisition at his base price.
PBKS' predicted playing XI for IPL 2021
This year's IPL is still months away, but we attempt to predict what PBKS' ideal playing XI will look like.
PBKS' squad for IPL 2021: KL Rahul, Arshdeep Singh, Chris Gayle, Darshan Nalkande, Harpreet Brar, Mandeep Singh, Mayank Agarwal, Mohd. Shami, M Ashwin, Nicholas Pooran, Sarfaraz Khan, Deepak Hooda, Ishan Porel, Ravi Bishnoi, Chris Jordan, Prabhsimran Singh, Shahrukh Khan, Jalaj Saxena, Utkarsh Singh, Saurabh Kumar, Fabian Allen, Moises Henriques, Riley Meredith, Jhye Richardson, Dawid Malan
Openers: KL Rahul (c & wk), Mayank Agarwal
Although PBKS have perhaps the greatest opening batsman in the history of T20 cricket in their team (Chris Gayle), they have chosen not to break the partnership between Mayank Agarwal and skipper KL Rahul.
The duo has opened the batting for their state for quite a while now, and has an excellent understanding of each other's game. Agarwal and Rahul were superb in IPL 2020, and they'll look to get their team off to great starts once again.
Although he has someone to hand the gloves to in Nicholas Pooran, Rahul should be behind the stumps for PBKS, just like he was last year.