Ranking Punjab Kings (PBKS') five greatest bowlers of all time
The Punjab Kings have not been able to dominate the IPL over the years and have left their fans generally disappointed. The team that started as Kings XI Punjab back in 2008 under the leadership of Yuvraj Singh has seen plenty of changes and plenty of players, but results have not come in their favor.
Heading into this new season, the Punjab Kings will be led by Shikhar Dhawan and he has a potent squad at his disposal. They have not been able to win the IPL title so far but have had inspiring performances from players.
Here we take a look at the top five bowlers to have played for Punjab Kings:
#5 Parvinder Awana
A tall right-arm pacer from Delhi, Parvinder Awana had all the makings of a good fast bowler. He was always impressive with his pace and the ability to get nip off the surface. He made his first-class debut at the age of 21 and made an immediate impression. He made his IPL debut in 2012 for Kings XI Punjab.
He even played a couple of matches for India in the series against England. In the 33 matches that he played for Punjab, he picked up 39 wickets.
#4 Irfan Pathan
Irfan Pathan was associated with Kings XI Punjab from the IPL's inception and was a consistent performer. He went around the circuit all these years but gave his best performances with Punjab.
In 42 matches for Punjab, Irfan picked up 47 wickets and was quite handy in the powerplay overs as well in the death in the initial few years. When he lost pace and his swing was not as venomous, he was released by Punjab.
#3 Axar Patel
Axar Patel came of age as a T20 bowler for Punjab. Such was his impact that Punjab opted to retain him ahead of several other superstars back in the day. His accurate and defensive bowling at different stages of the game saw him take giant strides as a bowler in this format.
In the 68 games that he played for Punjab, Axar picked up 61 wickets and was one of the main reasons behind their run in 2014 when they made it to the final.
#2 Sandeep Sharma
Despite being young and raw, Sandeep Sharma was always confident and had the skillsets to swing the new ball. He led Punjab’s attack from 2013 to 2017. He was an exceptional swing bowler and was always amongst the wickets in the powerplay overs.
He has troubled the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, among others, with his ability to move the ball both ways. In 56 matches, Sandeep was able to pick up 71 wickets and remains one of the best bowlers to have ever played for Punjab in the IPL.
#1 Piyush Chawla
A veteran in the Indian domestic circuit, Piyush Chawla was a wicket-taker in T20s and has been quite successful in the IPL. He started his IPL career with Punjab and was quite impressive during this stint.
In 87 matches for Punjab, Chawla ended with 84 wickets and served this side quite diligently for a long time.