IPL 2022 Auction: 3 smart things Punjab Kings need to do during the auction
Punjab Kings have never been able to get their squad combination right. Despite having several gun players in their ranks, they have not managed to string together consistent performances.
As a result, Punjab Kings keep chopping and changing personnel which never helps. Ahead of the IPL 2022 auction, they have retained opener Mayank Agarwal and bowler Arshdeep Singh. While Mayank is experienced, Arshdeep is still an uncapped player but has shown great promise in the last two seasons.
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In the IPL 2022 auctions, they do have a number of key decisions to make and the task is cut out for Anil Kumble and management.
Here in this article, we take a look at 3 smart things Punjab Kings need to do at the IPL 2022 auction:
1) Get an explosive overseas opener
Since Punjab Kings have retained Mayank Agarwal as one of the openers, they now need to go after an overseas opener who can take the attack to the opposition right from the word go.
They also need to understand that Agarwal, by all accounts, could be named captain of the side which could see him play the role of an anchor. As such, an explosive opener will certainly put the pressure on opposition bowlers in the powerplay overs.
Punjab Kings could target the likes of David Warner or Jason Roy as they have the experience and potential to do a lot of damage in the early overs.
2) An Indian fast-bowling contingent
Punjab Kings released Mohammed Shami, which was quite a surprise considering the fast bowler is versatile across formats. Since they have already retained Arshdeep, they could now aim to sign a couple of solid Indian pacers.
There is enough potential in the Indian cabinet and the likes of Navdeep Saini could be a possible acquisition. Often in the past, Punjab Kings have made the mistake of burning their pockets by aiming for overseas pacers which has backfired. They will be better served if they look at Indian options which will give them the luxury to snap up overseas players for other roles.
There is no dearth of fast-bowling talent in India and Punjab Kings could be a good side for a number of these bowlers. The side will be playing a majority of their matches in Mohali, a pitch that has been conducive to seamers.
3) Attacking spinners
Punjab Kings made another surprise decision when they decided to release Ravi Bishnoi. The young leggie was very impressive for Punjab. As Punjab Kings head into the auction, they will now need to pick up a couple of attacking spinners.
They could also look at the possibility of snapping up spinners who can also yield the willow and can double up as finishers. As such, they can look at the likes of Washington Sundar who have progressed as a player in the last few years.
There are quite a few key decisions Punjab Kings need to make and it will be interesting to see how they move forward with them.