Two final appearances in 14 editions of the Indian Premier League. Five captains in space of six seasons. KL Rahul, the captain and the leading run scorer in the past two seasons has left. It hardly feels like a stable environment for the Punjab Kings heading into the 2022 IPL. But a new season and a set of fresh players brings a sense of hope. Does anyone really, truly feel Punjab can qualify for the playoffs?
They have recruited modestly by purchasing the experienced Shikar Dhawan, Englishman Liam Livingstone and Jonny Bairstow, power hitter Shahrukh Khan and Kagiso Rabada. All these five men are the backbone of the Punjab team. If all of these players perform collectively on a consistent basis the ‘tier 2’ players are talented enough to push Punjab on the verge of a good year.
A lot will rest upon the opening partnership of Mayank Agarwal and Dhawan. Between them the pair has accumulated over 2000 runs in the past two seasons with 13 fifties and 3 centuries. Both have a strike-rate upwards of 130 and can vary their roles at the top. The left and right hand combination only makes the pair even more potent and there is no doubt Punjab has renowned and proven openers this upcoming season.
The inclusion of Bairstow further bolsters the top order. Bairstow is arguably in the form of his life. He has been demoted down the order for England in T20’s in recent times, but there is no doubt Bairstow is at his sublime best in the top 3. Along with Dhawan and Agarwal, there will be a plenty of pressure on Bairstow to have a 500 run season if Punjab are to qualify for the final.
But it is after the top three that the Punjab batting starts to show a few cracks. Livingstone is a terrific buy, but the English all-rounder is still yet to replicate his golden form in the IPL. Livingstone numbers in the IPL or PSL are not flattering. The English all-rounder has only registered two half-centuries from 32 innings with a modest T20 strike-rate of 127. There is also a slight question mark on his ability to demolish the spinners on the slower pitches of the sub-continent. Batting Livingstone at No 4 is an investment, but at the same time it is a gamble. Livingstone could be the barometer of Punjab Kings performance.
It is the middle and lower order that seems to be weak link for Punjab. Shahrukh Khan is touted as a finisher and has done a remarkable job in Indian domestic cricket, but it remains to be seen if the young man can finish innings in the high pressure scenarios of the IPL. Ideally, an experienced campaigner alongside Shahrukh Khan would be ideal, but Punjab simply don’t have an option.
Odean Smith certainly adds to the power hitting in the lower order, but he too is largely untested in the IPL environment. Youngsters such as Shahrukh and Smith have immense potential, but the lack of an experienced head around them in the middle order makes this Punjab batting extremely vulnerable. There is far too much emphasis and reliance on the top three. Additionally, there aren’t many batting options in the squad so if a couple players are to have a rough patch during the season the back-up choices are frail.
The spinning bowling combo of Harpreet Brar and Rahul Chahar is formidable. Brar was a revelation last season and showed he can bowl during the powerplay as well. Alongside Livingstone, who can bowl leg-spin and off-spin, Punjab have the spin bowling covered.
There are plenty of Indian fast bowling options in the squad with Ishan Porel, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Arora and the experienced Sandeep Sharma. Arshdeep gives them the variety as a left arm pacer and can bowl in the crucial death overs. If one of the Indian pacers can replicate an Avesh Khan or a Harshal Patel type of performance from last season then it will hold Punjab in good stead. If the batters can conjure up big totals the bowling unit will find it easier to collaborate as a unit. There is enough variety in the bowling set-up, but the lack of experience in decisive moments could prove monumental.
Overall, the team balance is far too dependent on the top three and Kagiso Rababa with the ball. If Punjab are to feature in the play-off’s one feels a Shah Rukh Khan or Odean Smith needs to win a couple of matches on his own. Last season, Punjab lost a couple of matches from unlosable positions and they cannot afford such casual performance this time around. With fresh faces and a new captain there is always hope, but a lot of stars have to align for Punjab to finish in the top four.