IPL 2022: SWOT Analysis of Punjab Kings (PBKS)

Punjab Kings were one of those franchises who made some really interesting buys at the IPL 2022 mega auction earlier this month.  Having made just two retentions including the likes of opener Mayank Agarwal and left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh, PBKS made 23 purchases at the two-day event in Bengaluru including the likes of Shikhar Dhawan for INR 8.5 crore, South African speedster Kagiso Rabada (INR 9.25 crore), England limited-overs specialist Jonny Bairstow  (₹6.75 crore) and West Indies all-rounder Odean Smith (INR 6 crore).

The 2014 finalists have rebuilt their squad as they hunt a maiden IPL silverware. However, it remains to be noted that Punjab have not made the playoffs for the last seven seasons. As a new-look Punjab Kings look to create history in the upcoming IPL 2022, here’s all you need to know about the team ahead of the marquee tournament.

Here’s the entire Punjab Kings squad:

Mayank Agarwal, Arshdeep Singh, Shikhar Dhawan, Kagiso Rabada, Jonny Bairstow, Rahul Chahar, Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Prabhsimran Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Ishan Porel, Liam Livingstone, Odean Smith, Sandeep Sharma, Raj Bawa, Rishi Dhawan, Prerak Mankad, Vaibhav Arora, Writtick Chatterjee, Baltej Dhanda, Ansh Patel, Nathan Ellis, Atharva Taide, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Benny Howell

Here’s the SWOT analysis of the Punjab Kings squad for IPL 2022

Strengths- Enormous batting depth

With the addition of big-hitters like Shikhar Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, Jonny Bairstow, Odean Smith along with Mayank Agarwal and Shahrukh Khan, the Punjab Kings boast of having arguably the strongest batting lineup in the tournament and can give the opposition bowlers a run for their money this time around.

While PBKS invested in batters having a great reputation in the shortest format, it is the faith shown in Shikhar Dhawan that could ultimately matter the most as he is one of the most consistent performers in the IPL history and can single-handedly get the team off to a brisk start when he is in great nick.

The southpaw is the second-highest run-getter in the cash-rich event with 5784 runs from 192 matches averaging 34.84 and a strike rate of 126.64. Being the most experienced player in the squad, the elegant batter could be the franchise’s next captain starting this season.

Weaknesses- Lack of experience in the spin department

Leg-spinner Rahul Chahar would be expected to single-handedly take care of the spin attack. While PBKS did manage to invest in some quality batters, they could have had a couple more experienced spinners on board. It remains to be seen who will provide that much-needed support to Chahar in the middle overs.

Punjab roped in Chahar for INR 5.25 crore but, missed the trick of buying an additional experienced spinner despite having the highest purse among all the 10 franchises with a staggering INR 72 crore from which they could have bought Rashid Khan, Adil Rashid, or the current top-ranked T20I spinner Tabraiz Shamsi.

With just one seasoned spinner, PBKS would be hoping that the former Mumbai Indians leggie would do most of the damage by bamboozling the best in the business.

Opportunities- Strong middle-order

The middle-order looks very promising with the inclusion of Liam Livingstone and buying back Shahrukh Khan. The duo, if given opportunities throughout the season, can score runs at a brisk rate and also have the ability to add finishing touches to the Punjab innings and will also be fruitful while chasing targets as well.

The runners-up of the 2014 edition have broken the bank to strengthen their batting and with that thing sorted, the top-order would be expected to provide starts and the middle-order would be expected to make the most of the foundation that will be laid. It can be said that the Punjab Kings’ batting comes with a complete package.

Apart from having the best batting line-up, it can be argued that PBKS also have the best middle-order in IPL 2022. Now, it would be interesting to see whether Liam Livingstone or his countryman Jonny Bairstow would be asked to make an impact in the middle-order along with Shahrukh Khan as both are excellent openers.

Threats- Lack of quality frontline pacers

Barring the likes of Kagiso Rabada and Arshdeep Singh along with Rishi Dhawan to an extent, the bowling attack looks a bit undercooked and the opposition teams could bank on it in the competition. PBKS would be hoping that both Rabada and Arshdeep provide breakthroughs at regular intervals and if both, unfortunately, happen to have an off day, the remaining bowlers could be taken to the cleaners. More than anything else, the tall Proteas pacer would be expected to fire all cylinders throughout the competition.

The supporting cast of Sandeep Sharma and Rishi Dhawan would be required to work in tandem along with the new ball bowlers provided Arshdeep shares the new ball with Rabada. While Sharma has a huge amount of IPL experience under his belt, Dhawan has been roped in the Punjab squad after an excellent domestic season for Himachal Pradesh where he had led the team to a maiden title.

While Arshdeep Singh was the first-choice pacer of the franchise, Kagiso Rabada has been added to the squad to bolster the pace attack. Nonetheless, only time will tell whether their pace options apart from these two click especially when it comes to bowling changes in the Powerplay and while bowling at the death.