Another team which did fairly well at the mega auction was the Punjab Kings team who had the most purse going into the auction of 72 crore and it can be said that they used that amount well although there are some weaknesses which we will talk about later in this article. The main issue with the Punjab team is that they are unable to keep the same team for 2 consecutive seasons and they have a decent team every year but on the field they are unable to cause problems to the other teams.
Punjab Kings came very close in the year 2014 when they lost to the Kolkata Knight Riders in a very close final In the last over and since then they have not come close but this might be their year as they have done half the job well at the auction table so now it’s up to the players to perform on the pitch. Let’s see their auction strategy and do a SWOT analysis of Punjab Kings.
Auction Strategy :
Going into the auction they had the highest purse going into the auction but they also had two players with them and only one was an international player in Mayank Agarwal so they needed a full team to set up and they got a good batting order with Shikhar Dhawan from the marquee set and then getting Jonny Bairstow at a very reasonable price to set up a good Top 3 for them and having Bhanuka Rajapaksa will add to their middle order. Their all rounders might be one of the best in the IPL but the issue is they are overseas players in Liam Livingstone and Odean Smith so they will not be able to play both of them all IPL and their Indian all round core is not that strong. Their bowling is their biggest weakness because apart from Kagiso Rabada they don’t have any wicket taking bowlers with them so that could be a huge issue so in the bowling department they didn’t do well in the auction.
Team Analysis :
Also Read | Mumbai Indians Auction strategy and Team Analysis
Strengths:
The Top 3 of this team is extremely good with Shikhar Dhawan, Jonny Bairstow and Mayank Agarwal and they have most certainly found a captain in Shikhar Dhawan as well, then their overseas all rounders are extremely good in Liam Livingstone and Odean Smith who bring different skill sets to the team so they have their bathing covered and let’s not forget Shahrukh Khan who will also play for them so they have a solid top 6.
Weaknesses:
Their Indian core other than 3 players is weak as they don’t have depth and especially their bowling which is their biggest weakness and all the other teams will feel that or we play Rabada respectfully then we can go after the other Bowlers so they are lacking in that department and this one weakness might cause then the IPL going forward.
Opportunities:
Like the other teams , Punjab Kings also have the opportunity to show that they are a great team and all their players can rise to the occasion and players like Arshdeep Singh, Shahrukh Khan, Rishi Dhawan can show the world that they are ready for international cricket going forward. They can prove everyone wrong who are doubting their team.
Threat:
Their biggest threat is the batting of the opposition teams who will come after the big time seeing that they don’t have the bowling to attack the full 20 overs so the other teams will look ahead to scoring big runs against them. The bowling attacks of the other teams will realize that their Indian core is not so strong so if we get the first 3 out then the scoring rate can be curtailed.
Also Read: Delhi Capitals Auction strategy and Team Analysis
