IPL 2023 team-by-team previews: Punjab Kings

It was another season of unfulfilled promise for Punjab Kings, as their electric displays were often interrupted by some poor performances. Their attacking approach was great to watch but it came up short in the end, missing out on the playoffs by just two points. 

The 2023 Indian Premier League season has been affected by the news that Jonny Bairstow will not be making the trip to India to continue his recovery from a broken leg that ruled him out of the t20 World Cup in Australia.

Punjab Kings IPL 2022 performance

There were some stunningly destructive performances from the Kings in 2022, led primarily by Liam Livingstone. The England all-rounder had question marks over his ability to adapt to Indian conditions but they were emphatically answered to the tune of 437 runs in 14 innings with an astonishing strike rate of 182.1. 

Shikhar Dhawan produced another consistent IPL season to finish as the Kings' top scorer with 460. Bairstow found his flow when he was promoted to open, while Sri Lanka's Bhanuka Rajapaksa made the most of his chance at the top of the order with some punishing displays. Jitesh Sharma was one of the finds of the whole IPL, scoring 234 with a strike rate of 163.6. 

Shikhar Dhawan was typically consistent in IPL 2022 for Punjab Kings and he will take over from Mayank Agarwal as captain for 2023 [CREDIT: IPLT20]

Arshdeep Singh and Kagiso Rabada combined to give Punjab genuine quality in their pace attack at both ends of the innings, with the latter taking 23 wickets in total. Rahul Chahar was the third Punjab bowler to reach double figures with 14 and had a number of good outings. Those three were the only constants in the bowling lineups, though, as the Kings failed to truly settle on a consistent XI bowling-wise.

What squad changes have Punjab Kings made via the IPL auction?

To perhaps the surprise of many, 2022 captain Mayank Agarwal was released ahead of the 2023 auction. He was unable to repeat his success of previous seasons, scoring just 196 runs in 12 innings. Such a quality domestic player would always likely prove to be tricky to replace and Punjab did not provide a like-for-like Indian replacement.

Instead, they made history by making Sam Curran the highest IPL auction purchase ever, with the t20 World Cup player of the tournament going for around £1.85 million. It's a brilliant signing on paper, with Curran excelling throughout different stages of an innings with the ball and providing quality with the bat.

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Punjab also brought in Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza as their other main purchase. Raza has been in brilliant form in the last year or so and had his moments during the recent Pakistan Super League as he contributed to Lahore Qalanders' second consecutive title. He will be potentially a key player with Bairstow's withdrawal and with Livingstone still on his way back from injury, having not played since the start of December last year after injuring his knee.

How is the squad shaping up ahead of the start of IPL 2023?

Potential starting XI: Shikhar Dhawan, Matthew Short, Raj Bawa, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma, Sam Curran, Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh

Having come in as a late replacement, Australian Short could well find himself slotting straight in for the Englishman due to the setup of Punjab's squad. Curran has opened in the IPL before and Rajapaksa was brilliant at number three for the Kings last year but that would mean three left-handers in the top three. Raza has shown his talents more in the middle order, while Short is a t20 opener. He was player of the tournament in the 2022/23 Big Bash League and has continued that form in the Australian domestic scene.

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If Livingstone is unavailable initially, Raza should slot seamlessly in as his replacement. Bawa is a player of considerable potential and could well get a good run in the team this season. The 20-year-old has shown he is capable of floating throughout the order and could slot in at three, as could Curran. Prabhimran Singh is another option at the top of the order which could allow one of Rajapaksa or Raza to play alongside Livingstone instead of Short.

Rishi Dhawan and Harpreet could find themselves fighting for a spot depending on the conditions, with both offering ability with the bat down the order while Dhawan provides a seam option and Harpreet a slow left-arm option. Rabada and Arshdeep will once again form a potent partnership that will this time be enhanced by the presence of Curran, as well as Chahar. The addition of Curran could provide a crucial extra bit of balance and quality to the team.