IPL 2024: Punjab Kings counting on English core to mount surprise challenge
2014 runners-up Punjab Kings will be hoping to mount a surprise title challenge in the 2024 season of the Indian Premier League under the captaincy of veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan.
The Mohali-based franchise finished eighth in the IPL 2023 points table, missing the playoffs spot by four points. Despite getting off to a dominant start in IPL 2023, PBKS managed to win six of their 14 matches, while losing eight. This was the 14th time that Punjab Kings failed to qualify for the playoffs in 16 seasons in the IPL.
They will begin their 2024 campaign by facing Delhi Capitals on Saturday, March 23 at the newly-constructed Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium in Mullanpur, Mohali. The 2024 season will see PBKS move away from the PCA Stadium, which has hosted their home matches over the years.
PBKS will be hoping that the new stadium can change their fortunes in the IPL. In fact, they are one of only three founding teams to have never won the IPL trophy, alongside Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
FOCUS ON ENGLISH CORE
Punjab Kings will be relying on their strong core of English players to fire them to the title in 2024. The Preity Zinta owned-franchise made England all-rounder Sam Curran the most-expensive player in the history of IPL in the 2023 auction (which was eventually broken by Pat Cummins and then Mitchell Starc at the 2024 mini-auction). Curran claimed 10 wickets and scored 276 runs last season, but the team management will be hoping to get more from their star player in IPL 2024.
They also have the hard-hitting Liam Livingstone amongst their ranks, and despite an underwhelming IPL 2023, will be hoping for him to come good in the 2024 season. Livingstone, who scored 279 runs last season, will be aiming to replicate his 2022 form when he smashed 437 runs at a strike rate of 182.08 while hitting four fifties in 14 matches.
Jonny Bairstow will be looking to prove his nay-sayers wrong having missed the 2023 season due to injury. He has confirmed that he’ll be available for the entirety of IPL 2024. If PBKS can get the SunRisers Hyderabad version of Bairstow in 2024, they could prove to be a force to reckon with. Bairstow will be opening the batting for PBKS alongside skipper Dhawan, a pair that could do a lot of damage in IPL 2024.
PBKS also roped in the experienced Chris Woakes in the 2024 mini-auction, paying Rs 4.20 crore for his services. The all-rounder could provide Punjab with a solid powerplay option with his ability to swing the ball both ways, while also proving to be a more-than-handy batting option down the order.
HOW DID PBKS FARE IN MINI-AUCTION?
Punjab Kings roped in eight players in the 2024 mini-auction, signing Harshal Patel (Rs. 11.75 crore), Chris Woakes (Rs. 4.20 crore), Ashutosh Sharma (Rs. 20 lakh), Vishwanath Pratap Singh (Rs. 20 lakh), Shashank Singh (Rs. 20 lakh), Tanay Thyagarajann (Rs. 20 lakh), Prince Choudhary (Rs. 20 lakh), Rilee Rossouw (Rs. 8 crore).
They addressed the issue of bringing in an experienced Indian pacer in the form of Harshal Patel, which heavily improves PBKS’ pace attack consisting of Arshdeep Singh and Kagiso Rabada, while other options in the form of Nathan Ellis and Woakes.
PBKS IPL 2024 SQUAD
Wicket-keepers: Jonny Bairstow (ENG), Prabhsimran Singh, Jitesh Sharma
Batters: Shikhar Dhawan (C), Harpreet Bhatia, Rilee Rossouw (SA), Shashank Singh
All-rounders: Liam Livingstone (ENG), Atharva Taide, Rishi Dhawan, Sam Curran (ENG), Sikandar Raza (ZIM), Shivam Singh, Chris Woakes (ENG), Ashutosh Sharma, Vishwanath Singh, Tanay Thyagarajan
Bowlers: Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Kagiso Rabada (SA), Nathan Ellis (AUS), Rahul Chahar, Vidhwath Kaverappa, Prince Choudhary, Harshal Patel
KEY PLAYERS
Shikhar Dhawan: The second-highest all-time run-scorer in the history of the IPL will be key for PBKS in the 2024 season. If he can get Punjab off to good starts alongside Bairstow, PBKS could be in business in IPL 2024.
Jitesh Sharma: The hard-hitting wicketkeeping batter made a name for himself with some destructive batting in 2023, which also earned him a spot in the Indian T20I setup. Ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup, Jitesh will be hoping to amp up his batting numbers to cement his spot in India’s squad.
Arshdeep Singh: The left-arm pacer is the only regular Indian international in their squad and PBKS will be turning to him in key moments, be it the powerplay or the death. He picked 17 wickets in 14 matches last season and will be looking to improve on that in 2024.
Sam Curran: Punjab’s record signing failed to capture the imagination of supporters in 2023 but he will be hoping to replicate his electric form from the 2022 T20 World Cup, which earned him a big-money move to Mohali.
IPL 2024: PBKS COACHING STAFF
Head Coach: Trevor Bayliss
Assistant coach: Brad Haddin
Batting Coach: Wasim Jaffer
Fast Bowling Coach: Charl Langeveldt
Spin Bowling Coach: Sunil Joshi
Director of Cricket Development: Sanjay Bangar
PREDICTED PLAYING XI
Shikhar Dhawan (C), Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma, Sam Curran, Harpreet Brar, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Rahul Chahar, Kagiso Rabada.