PBKS SWOT Analysis, IPL 2024: Can Kings XI Punjab lift their maiden trophy? | cricket news

Kings XI Punjab (PBKS), led by Shikhar Dhawan, is gearing up for the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. Punjab will end their chase for the elusive IPL trophy after spending Rs 24.95 crore at a mini-auction in Dubai last year. Last season, Kings XI Punjab finished eighth in the points table with six wins and eight losses. They have not made it to the IPL playoffs since 2014 and PBKS will hope to rectify that in the upcoming season.

PBKS will enter the 2024 season with anticipation and scrutiny. After a high-ticket mini-auction in December 2023, PBKS bought Harshal Patel, Chris Woakes, Rilee Rossouw, Ashutosh Sharma, Vishwanath Pratap Singh, Shashank Singh, Tanay Thyagarajann and Prince Choudhary.

England’s top batsman Jonny Bairstow, who was ruled out last year due to a serious injury, will also be included in the selection list.

As the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) releases this year’s schedule, PBKS will face Delhi Capitals (DC) in the opener on March 23 at the new Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mullanpur.

As Kings XI Punjab prepare for the upcoming IPL season, we take a look at their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

strength

PBKS has a star-studded batting line-up that includes top batsmen such as Shikhar Dhawan, Jonny Bairstow and Rilee Roussow. They also have all-round firepower at their disposal in Liam Livingstone, Sikandar Raza and Sam Curran.

Jitesh Sharma’s performance at PBKS in recent seasons has also showcased his strong finishing ability and he can take any bowler to the cleaners on the day.

Apart from a strong batting line-up, Punjab also possess a quality attacking pace. Harshal Patel joins their strong bowling of Kukagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh and Sam Curran to provide them with ample variety as far as their pace battery is concerned sex. Shears also had Chris Woakes, who was able to take wickets with the new ball.

weakness

In a game where spinners play a crucial role in guiding the team to victory, Kings XI Punjab’s options in this regard appear to be limited.

With only Rahul Chahar and Harpreet Brar being notable spinners, PBKS doesn’t have many options in terms of frontline spinners. The duo took a combined 17 wickets in IPL 2023 and will hope for better returns in 2024.

Punjab do have some part-time spin options in Livingstone and Raza, but their economy rates are 13.4 and 9.9 respectively, which illustrates why these options cannot be relied upon.

Chance

With Bairstow back this season, the Punjab hierarchy will be hoping that the Englishman can start despite him not playing much T20 cricket in recent times.

Bairstow missed the 2023 IPL due to an unexpected injury. Nonetheless, he has the ability to beat any bowling attack on the day and PBKS will be hoping Bairstow can deliver with the bat after spending a season on the treatment table.

In addition to Bairstow, the addition of Rilee Rossouw will also give the team a boost. After failing to find a buyer at a mini-auction, the South African was acquired by PBKS for a whopping Rs 8 crore.

threaten

One of the biggest threats that Kings XI Punjab face in this IPL could be the lack of Indian all-rounders. Although they have some good overseas all-rounders, it will be interesting to see if they can perform consistently for the team.

PBKS captain Shikhar Dhawan will return to the field after almost a year. The 38-year-old batsman performed well in the IPL last year, scoring 373 runs at an average of 41.44. But given that he hasn’t played an official match since IPL 2023, his performance this season will be worth keeping an eye on.

Kings XI Punjab are yet to repair their struggling middle order, which includes Livingstone, Raza and Curran. Last year, none of the three scored more than 300 runs, and their batting averages remained around 30.

Maybe 12

Shikhar Dhawan (centre), Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sam Curran, Harpreet Brar, Harshal Patel, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Rishi Dhawan (impact substitute).