Updated: 10 December 2022
IPL 2023 Mini Auction: 4 Players Punjab Kings (PBKS) Can Target. The Punjab Kings (PBKS) have been a consistent part of the IPL for all 15 seasons. But over all these years, they never seemed to impress their spectators with their performance in the coveted tournament.
Despite having many exceptional players on their side, this franchise has only made it to the playoffs once in all of its IPL appearances. Their best performance came in 2014, under the captaincy of George Bailey when they ended as runners-up in the title race.
However, over the last few editions, their performance has disappointed not only PBKS supporters but all other cricket fans too. The Punjab Kings won 50% of their games in the previous edition, winning 7 of their 14 games.
With players like Shikhar Dhawan, Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, and Kagiso Rabada already in their squad, they would look to target a few others in the IPL 2023 mini-auction, which is going to be held in Kochi on 23 December.
Here are the four players who could be the primary targets of PBKS in the upcoming mini-auction of 2023, with remaining purse values of 32.20 crores.
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4 Players Punjab Kings (PBKS) Can Target
4. Sam Curran
The versatile English all-rounder was the flag bearer of England’s victory in the 2022 T20 World Cup. In the last two years of T20I, the youngster has impressed all cricket fans with his improved and skillful bowling.
Curran has 41 T20I wickets, out of which 26 came this year in his last 19 appearances for England and 13 of which came in the T20 World Cup as he went on to be the MOT in the T20I World Cup. A Team like PBKS who are in the hunt for an all-rounder at 7 can have their go at Curran who is in the form of his life and has performed well in the IPL over the years as he has 32 wickets and 300+ runs at an alarming strike rate of 150 by the little man.
Sam Curran can be picked for a big bid amount of nearly 10 crores or so by the PBKS as they have an alluring amount to satisfy his claims.
3. Cameron Green
With his outstanding performance for Australia, the big all-rounder from Western Australia has impressed all franchise management. Green can be the best finisher for a team like PBKS as he can come down the order and smack the ball all around the park, his T20I strike rate of 174 proves his efficiency as a finisher.
This Giant allrounder can also add a good bowling hand to their side as Green can turn out to be effective with the ball while bowling steady bouncers by making good use of his height. PBKS can target this big allrounder as their purse is one of the most loaded purses in the mini-auction.
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2. Chris Lynn
With Jonny Bairstow still unsure about his return to cricket, PBKS would look for another opening option in his absence. Lynn can also prove to be effective in the case of Bairstow being promoted down the order. The ex-KKR opener has had many memorable performances in the past, with the bat scoring 1191 runs in 36 appearances for the KKR over three years at a strike rate close to 145.
Lynn loves to bat in subcontinent conditions and can give any team eventful innings at the top of the order and PBKS can also look forward to utilizing his talent as an asset to their side.
1. Mayank Agarwal
Mayank, who was handed over the captaincy after the release of KL Rahul, could not do well with his role as a captain. Mayank is released ahead of the mini-auction this year, but he can be picked again by the PBKS side in the mini-auction at a price lower than the price he was retained before the mega-auction last year.
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Mayank can be the backbone of their middle order, having scored 1300+ runs since his arrival in the PBKS side, and just one bad year cannot take away his efficiency as a genuine T20 batsman. As all other players in the lineup are too aggressive and do not show much resistance in difficult situations, Mayank can be said to be a guaranteed pick by the Kings.
PBKS Retained Players List for 2023:
Liam Livingstone, Prabhsimran Singh, Shahrukh Khan, Shikhar Dhawan, Jonny Bairstow, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Rishi Dhawan, Raj Bawa, Kagiso Rabada, Nathan Ellis.
PBKS released the following players for 2023: Mayank Agarwal (former captain), Odean Smith, Benny Howell, Ishan PorelVaibhav Arora, Ansh Patel, Prerak Mankad, Sandeep Sharma, and Writtick Chatterjee.