PBKS 2021 players list: Complete list of Punjab Kings players for IPL 2021
The Punjab Kings (formerly known as Kings XI Punjab) were among the biggest spenders at the 2021 IPL Auction. They entered the auction with a purse of more than ₹50 crore, and spent ₹22 crore just to acquire two Aussie pace bowlers.
Perth Scorchers' star pacer Jhye Richardson was the most expensive signing by the Punjab Kings at the 2021 IPL Auction. Punjab spent ₹14 crore to sign him, while Riley Meredith earned a ₹8 crore deal from the newly rebranded franchise.
Before the 2021 IPL Auction, the Punjab Kings had retained their top batsmen. The likes of KL Rahul, Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, and Mandeep Singh were already present in the Punjab Kings squad.
World number one T20I batsman Dawid Malan joined the Mohali-based franchise at this year's auction. Surprisingly, the Punjab Kings were the only bidders for Malan as they signed him for ₹1 crore. Punjab also went for uncapped batsman Shahrukh Khan to strengthen their batting unit.
Apart from Malan, Meredith, and Richardson, the Punjab Kings added Fabian Allen and Moises Henriques to their overseas contingent. Allen was a part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad squad last year, while Henriques has played for the Kings XI Punjab in the IPL before.
Domestic cricket star Jalaj Saxena earned a contract worth ₹30 lakh from PBKS. Utkarsh Singh and Saurabh Kumar completed the Punjab Kings' 25-man squad.
Punjab Kings full squad and player list for IPL 2021
The Punjab Kings have a stronger squad than the one they had last year. Moises Henriques' presence will give balance to the team. Nicholas Pooran, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi, and Murugan Ashwin were excellent for the franchise last year. Ishan Porel will look to come to the party this season.
It will be interesting to see if the change of name can help the Mohali-based franchise end their IPL title drought.
PBKS IPL 2021 Squad: 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.