With the second-largest purse value, Punjab Kings will push some players to the marquee level in the upcoming IPL auction. They let go of some big names during the retention period including Odean Smith and Mayank Agarwal, their skipper. In total, 9 players were released by PBKS before the IPL 2023 auction. Still, Punjab Kings will not be without some important names like Johnny Bairstow, Shikhar Dhawan, Shahrukh Khan, Liam Livingstone, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Arshdeep Singh and Kagiso Rabada. 

Let us find out how would Punjab Kings approach this year’s IPL auction. 

Who has Punjab Kings Retained?

Even though Punjab Kings released some of its marquee players, they have enough firepower to build a strong squad around them. Here is the list of players that were retained by PBKS – 

  • Shikhar Dhawan (Captain)
  • Arshdeep Singh
  • Harpreet Brar
  • Rahul Chahar 
  • Liam Livingstone
  • Rishi Dhawan
  • Kagiso Rabada
  • Nathan Ellis
  • Jitesh Sharma
  • Bhanuka Rajapaksa
  • Johnny Bairstow
  • Shahrukh Khan
  • Baltej Singh
  • Atharva Taide
  • Raj Bawa
  • Prabhsimran Singh

How Much Money Does PBKS Have?

Punjab Kings will enter the IPL 2023 mini-auction with the second-largest purse amount. They will have INR 32.20 crores to add players who might help them go through the qualifiers stage. Currently, the PBKS squad has 16 players that include 5 overseas players. They go to the auction with 9 vacant slots that will include 3 overseas slots. 

Skills Punjab Kings are Looking for

  • Punjab Kings might be looking for an Indian or overseas player who can bat at number 3 for them. Since Dhawan and Bairstow will take up the opening slot automatically, they need someone who can pace the innings as per the start they get from their opening duo.
  • They can go big on many all-rounders like Sam Curran, Ben Stokes and Cameron Green who can give them support in the middle order
  • In addition to Rahul Chahar, they do not have renowned spinning options. They might give it a thought and add some spinners to their squad. 
  • They might also add some quality seamers as their home tracks assist seamers and pacers as backup options for Rabada and Arshdeep

Who can Punjab Kings Target?

In the batting department, Punjab Kings might try to buy back Mayank Agarwal for a relatively lower price. They will also have other options in this set with the likes of Manish Pandey who had an outstanding Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament. In the all-rounder department, they can target the likes of Stokes, Curran, Green and Shakib. In bowling, they can go after players like Adam Zampa, Shreyas Gopal, Shivam Mavi and a few unrecognized bowlers who had a great SMAT 2022.