Punjab Kings Full Squad: Punjab Kings’ focus always remained on signing up quality pacers. But it was different in this auction. With just two retentions (KL Rahul & Arshdeep Singh), PBKS went big on batsmen, signing up Shikhar Dhawan, Jonny Bairstow and Shahrukh Khan while also snapping up one of the best pacers in Kagiso Rabada. With Liam Livingstone on Day 2, PBKS built a balanced squad. But captaincy will remain the BIGGEST question. Follow IPL 2022 Live Updates on InsideSport.IN.
Punjab Kings came into the auction with the biggest purse of Rs 72 Crore and did not disappoint. They were involved in all bidding wars after retaining only two (Mayank Agarwal & Arshdeep Singh). But they managed to snap up two match-winners in Shikhar Dhawan and Kagiso Rabada.
Punjab Kings Full Squad: PBKS break banks for Liam Livingstone, build balanced squad, dilemma remains on captaincy
All smiles and rightly so 😁#TATAIPLAuction #IPLAuction #SaddaPunjab #PunjabKings pic.twitter.com/z8erzZELiG
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) February 13, 2022
While Shikhar Dhawan and Mayank Agarwal are the two options for captaincy, PBKS can also explore England opener, Jonny Bairstow. PBKS co-owner Ness Wadia said PBKS are clear on the captaincy option and an announcement will be made soon.
“We are going through a rebranding. We have to announce a new captain soon. We are very clear on who the new captain is. We are building a new culture, a new team. It is about oneness, a family. It is about bringing the culture across different groups within us, whether it is Britannia or Dabur. It is all about bringing everyone together. So far we are pretty good, happy with what we’ve got,” Wadia said.
Punjab Kings Full Squad: PBKS break banks for Liam Livingstone, build balanced squad, dilemma remains on captaincy
He sounded happy with Liam Livingstone for whom they paid a whopping 11.5 Cr.
“Liam is one of the best all-rounders. He is a world class cricketer and plays a lot with Bairstow, so from our point of view, is great. We saw when Odean Smith hit those sixes the other day, the Indian team got scared. We have an excellent squad. We have a few players to make up the A team. Very happy. We’re not worried about other teams, we’re just worried about us. You have to strategize on the second day. The key is to not spend too much time on other teams. It’s only at the back of the head. The forefront is all to do with what we want,” Wadia said.
Punjab Kings Full Squad: PBKS break banks for Liam Livingstone, build balanced squad, dilemma remains on captaincy
PUNJAB KINGS: Players Bought By PBKS: (25 Overall – 7 Overseas) 86.55 Crore Spent / 3.45 Cr remaining
- Retained: Mayank Agarwal (12 Cr) / Arshdeep Singh (4 Cr)
- PBKS New Buys on Sunday:
Liam Livingstone – 11.5 Cr
Odean Smith – 6 Cr
Sandeep Sharma – 50 L
Raj Angad Bawa – 2 Cr
Rishi Dhawan – 55 L
Prerak Mankad – 20 L
Vaibhav Arora – 2 Cr
Nathan Ellis – 75 L
Atharva Taide – 20 L
Bhanuka Rajapaksa – 50 L
Writtick Chatterjee – 20 L
Benny Howell – 40 L
Baltej Dhanda – 20 L
Ansh Patel – 20 L - PBKS New Buys on Saturday:
Shikhar Dhawan – 8.25 Cr
Kagiso Rabada – 9.25 Cr
Jonny Bairstow – 6.75 Cr
Rahul Chahar – 5.25 Cr
Shahrukh Khan – 9 Cr
Harpreet Brar – 3.8 Cr
Prabhsimran Singh – 60 L
Jitesh Sharma – 20 L F
Ishan Porel – 25 L
Punjab Kings Full Squad: PBKS break banks for Liam Livingstone, build balanced squad, dilemma remains on captaincy
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