Punjab Kings is a franchise in IPL that represents the Punjab State of India. The franchise was founded in 2008 as Kings XI Punjab. The team is owned by multiple owners Bollywood actress Preity Zinta owns a 23% share, and Ness Wadia 23%. Dabur group’s Mohit Burman holds the major part of the franchise at 46%. Trevor Bayliss is the coach and the team is led by Shikhar Dhawan.
Kings XI Punjab later changed their name to Punjab Kings in 2021. The team has PCA Stadium in Mohali as its home ground. The team is all set to start IPL 2023 and Shikhar Dhawan is leading the team this year. Team Punjab has not achieved IPL Championship yet. The team is popular because of its ambassador actress Preity Zinta and many other prominent players.
Past History and Achievements of Punjab Kings in IPL
Punjab Kings debuted in IPL in 2008 and Yuvraj Singh led the team. They finish in third position that year. The next following year they couldn’t reach to semi-finals and finished in the 5th spot. Kumar Sangakkara became the new captain of the team in 2009 that year they finished in 8th place. The following year Australian cricketer Adam Gilchrist replaced Umar Sangakkara and led the team. Punjab Kings then Kings XI Punjab faced back-to-back disappointment till 2013.
In 2014 George Bailey led the team and they performed well. They reached runner-ups but eventually lost against KKR. The fans and team members had full hope of winning, but unfortunately, again disappointed year. George Bailey continued captaincy for the next season and they finished in the bottom 8th place.
They again finished in 8th position under the captaincy of David Miller. The team faced disappointments back to back for 2 years. In 2017 Glenn Maxwell took the responsibility of leadership and they finished in 5th place that year. Ravichandran Ashwin was appointed as a captain the next season, the team performed well for the initial few matches and it was hopeful. However, they went off track and finished in 7th position. Andrew Tye become the star player of the team who took 24 wickets.
In 2020 they finished in the 6th spot and the following year they won 6 matches out of 14 and finished in 6th place again. Last season Mayank Agarwal led the team and they couldn’t make it again they finished in 6th place with a total of 7 wins out of 14.
Punjab Kings Squad for IPL 2023
The franchise has acquired many talents in its squad this season. Their costlier acquire is English cricketer Sam Curran for 18.50 crores. With this bid, Sam becomes the highest-paid player in IPL history. Punjab Kings beat Mumbai Indians in the bid to acquire Sam.
The team tried to acquire Mayank Agarwal but Sunrisers Hyderabad managed to get him. Apart from them, they signed Zimbabwe cricketer Sikandar Raza for 50 lack. Here is the complete list of the Punjab Kings squad:
- Arshdeep Singh
- Shikhar Dhawan(C)
- Kagiso Rabada
- Matthew Short
- Shahrukh Khan
- Harpreet Brar
- Prabhsimran Singh
- Jitesh Sharma
- Sam Curran
- Rahul Chahar
- Liam Livingstone
- Raj Bawa
- Rishi Dhawan
- Baltej Dhanda
- Nathan Ellis
- Atharva Taide
- Bhanuka Rajapaksa
Punjab Kings Match Fixtures and Venues
| Date | Venue | Opponent |
| 1 April | Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali | Kolkata Knight Riders |
| 5 April | Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati | Rajasthan Royals |
| 9 April | Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad | Sunrisers Hyderabad |
| 13 April | Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali | Gujrat Giants |
| 15 April | Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow | Lucknow Super Giants |
| 20 April | Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali | Royal Challengers Bangalore |
| 22 April | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | Mumbai Indians |
| 28 April | Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali | Lucknow Super Giants |
| 30 April | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai | Chennai Super Kings |
| 3 May | Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali | Mumbai Indians |
| 8 May | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | Kolkata Knight Riders |
| 13 May | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi | Delhi Capitals |
| 17 May | HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala | Delhi Capitals |
| 19 May | HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala | Rajasthan Royals |
Strengths and Weaknesses of PBKS in IPL 2023
Punjab Kings broke the records by acquiring Sam Curran in their squad for 18.5 crores. They will kick start IPL against KKR on 1 April at their home ground Mohali Stadium. The past seasons have not been lucky for them but this time they will be hoping for the best as they have spent a whopping amount on Sam Curran. Here are our short analyzes of the strengths and weaknesses of Punjab Kings in IPL 2023.
Strengths
They have included some power players in the squad like Liam Livingstone, Bhanuka Rajapaksha, Shahrukh Khan, and Sikandar Raza. Shikhar Dhawan has significantly contributed in his previous IPL matches so the hopes are high with his captaincy. They have strong pacers like Kagiso Rabada and Arshdeep Singh
Weaknesses
Even though having talented pacers Kagiso Rabada and Arshdeep Singh they will still miss quality spinner Rahul Chahar being their only viable option. Apart from this, Punjab Kings has a deep and experienced top order but their middle order is weak.
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Players to Watch out for PBKS in IPL 2023
The Punjab franchise broke the record of IPL history by acquiring Sam Curran so it will be interesting to watch his performance on the ground. Shikhar Dhawan will hold the captaincy responsibility and it will be fascinating to watch him as a captain and what decisions he incorporates to lead them to win. Players like Arshdeep Singh and Matthew Short will be eager to perform well as the franchise is looking forward to them.
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