The decision of Punjab Kings (PBKS) to release Mayank Aggarwal ahead of the 2023 IPL auction has raised many eyebrows. PBKS has now made a habit of making large-scale changes to the squad, which can be risky as chopping and swapping doesn’t often work.
PBKS now has a wallet of 42.25 Crores which is a huge number. PBKS’ best season was way back in 2014 when they made it to the Finals, but it’s been a struggle for the franchise ever since. They have not been able to find a leader who regularly guides the team to the knockout phase.
Wasim Jaffer named hitting coach
Former Indian batsman Wasim Jaffer has been reappointed as the franchise’s batting coach. He was the batting coach for the 2020 and 2021 editions and later resigned. It would be interesting to see how the team performs under a new coaching staff as Trevor Bayliss is the new head coach, Brad Haddin is the assistant coach and Charl Langeveldt is the bowling coach.
Critical season for PBKS
The decision of PBKS to appoint Shikhar Dhawan as the new skipper is quite surprising. The problem with PBKS’ over the years is that they can’t continue the winning momentum. The team has shown a lot of caliber and promise, but they fail at crucial moments in the match, rendering all their hard work in vain. PBKS’ arsenal is their bowling as they have Kagiso Rabada that can easily rattle any opponent on any given day.
PBKS need to adopt a fearless approach rather than going into the shell. It would be interesting to see which players make the team as they only have 3 overseas slots left. All eyes would be on finisher Shahrukh Khan, who will have to make sure he plays nifty cameos rather than throwing away the wickets. PBKS needs to focus on Indian players as Jonny Bairstow will not play a winning shot for the team every time.
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