Hyderabad: With six victories and eight defeats in the bag, Punjab Kings (PBKS) finished eighth in the points table in the last season of the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) but they will look to improve upon their performance in the upcoming 17th edition.
The team started with a couple of victories in the last season but lost the momentum after that and their campaign culminated in a mixed bag of results.
Skipper Shikhar Dhawan was the highest run-scorer with 373 runs with an average of 41.44. Prabhsimran Singh was the second-highest run-getter with a tally of 358 runs with a strike rate of 150.42. Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh was the highest wicket-taker for the franchise with 17 wickets from 14 matches.
Ahead of the IPL 2024, the team strengthened their bowling unit with the addition of Harshal Patel and Chris Woakes. They also added to the batting unit by buying Rilee Rossouw at the auction table.
Now, with a few days to go before the commencement of the coveted tournament, Shikhar Dhawan and Co. would be eyeing to lift their maiden title. Following are the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for the team which might impact their chances in the upcoming season.
Strengths
The pace bowling unit is the biggest strength for the franchise while entering the upcoming season. The battery of fast bowlers in the team includes the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Nathan Ellis, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Sam Curran and Chris Woakes. Thus, the pace department has bowlers who can roll their arms in all phases of the game.
Also, with the presence of all-rounders like Liam Livingstone, Chris Woakes, Rishi Dhawan and Sam Curran, the team has depth in the bowling unit. Livingstone can bowl off-spin as well as leg-spin for the franchise and that might play in the favour of the side.
Weakness
With too many overseas players in the roster, the team might have to play inexperienced Indian players in their lineup. Also, the lack of spin bowling options can hamper their chances in the tournament. Leggie Rahul Chahar will be the main spinner of the team while Livingstone and Harpreet Brar might assist him by bowling a few overs. However, if Chahar is injured, PBKS will have no backup options in their team when it comes to spin bowling.
Opportunities
Two youngsters, Jitesh Sharma and Atharva Taide will have the biggest of opportunities when they play the next IPL season. Jitesh does the finishing duties for the team while Taide was sent to open by the franchise last season in a few games. Jitesh has already featured for the national side in nine T20Is so far with a decent strike rate of 147.05 but a disappointing average of 14.28.
Vidwath Kaverappa is another player who can capitalise on the opportunity IPL provides. He has taken 23 wickets from 13 T20s so far with an average of 12 and a strike rate of 12.2.
Threats
The overreliance on all-rounders might affect the team’s campaign in the competition. They are going to play a pivotal role for the team but if they fail to fire, the franchise can face trouble in the tournament.
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