Every team, ahead of an IPL event, will have its strengths and weaknesses. Being a dynamic event, auctions are never under the control of a franchise. The form and mindset with which a player arrives at IPL are also out of a management’s purview. In this article, we take a look at the two strongest and weakest cricketers of PBKS in IPL 2021.
After a difficult start in IPL 2020, Punjab Kings managed to execute a comeback which kept them in the playoff race until the final few days of the league stage. At the auctions, the franchise put in some decent work to flesh out a competitive squad for the upcoming campaign. As mentioned earlier, there are always a few highs and lows in the roster. From the outset, here are the two strongest and weakest cricketers of PBKS for the forthcoming season.
Strongest Cricketers of Punjab Kings in IPL 2021
1. KL Rahul
KL Rahul is certainly the strongest cricketer in the Punjab Kings. Over the last two seasons, if not for him, the outfit would have had terrible campaigns. In many encounters, KLR single-handedly lifted the team and brought them close to a winning position.
Ahead of IPL 2021 too, Rahul looks to be in good form. Although he struggled in the T20I series against England, he had a good outing in the ODI series. The Bengaluru-lad even got a century to his name. If PBKS has to achieve anything this season, KL has to be good with his batting and captaincy.
2. Mohammed Shami
Every team must have a bowler who is at the top of his game to survive in the tournament. For Punjab Kings, that responsibility will lie on the shoulders of Mohammed Shami.
Although he is coming back from an injury, Shami’s skills with the ball are classy and he may not require a lot of games to get into the groove. Last season, Shami’s bowling during the powerplay was brilliant. He picked a lot of wickets and helped PBKS win a few games. If there is one area of improvement, it will be the death-over bowling for the pacer from West Bengal.
Weakest Cricketers of Punjab Kings in IPL 2021
1. Deepak Hooda
You might be wondering if we have put Deepak Hooda on the wrong side of the headings. Well, if you take a look at the Baroda all-rounder’s last few months, he is one player who really needs to up his game at IPL 2021.
Although he played well in the previous season, Deepak has had a horrid time in the domestic competitions. Before the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he complained to the Baroda Cricket Association about Kruna Pandya’s abusive language in the dressing room. This led to Hooda’s ban, and so far, he is yet to play a competitive game at the domestic level. This could have an impact on the cricketer as he plays in the IPL.
2. Harpreet Brar
A batting all-rounder, Harpreet Brar can be said as one of the weak links of the squad. The 25-year-old has played in the IPL before but did not get a real chance to showcase his potential. That said, it is unlikely that he would get game-time in IPL 2021.
If you take the other cricketers in the unit, Harpreet does not have a commendable record in the recent domestic competitions. He is also not someone who has done extraordinarily well in the past. Hence, we have him on this list.
