IPL 2022: PBKS – 3 players to watch out for

The Punjab Kings have made some smart and important buys at the IPL 2022 mega auction last month by rebuilding their squad as they eye a maiden title. They strengthened their batting lineup by roping in some world-class batters like Shikhar Dhawan, the English duo of Liam Livingstone and Jonny Bairstow to name a few.

At the same time, PBKS also strengthened their bowling attack by welcoming South African pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada, Rishi Dhawan, etc. Without further ado, here’s a look at three players who could be the standout performers this year.

1. Arshdeep Singh:

Arshdeep Singh was one of Punjab’s mandatory retentions along with skipper Mayank Agarwal. He has been offered INR 4 crore. The left-arm pacer had an excellent 2021 season where he finished with 18 wickets from 12 matches averaging 19 and having an economy rate of 8.27. The left-arm pacer has the ability to pick up wickets at the death and the opposition batters need to beware of his disguised yorkers as well.

2. Shikhar Dhawan:

Shikhar Dhawan is in the form of his life in the shortest format. However, he has not beein in the scheme of things for the Indian team in the last 12 months. He was been roped in by Punjab for INR 8.25 crore. Dhawan was not retained by the Delhi Capitals despite having amassed 587 runs from 16 matches in 2022. It also needs to be noted that the senior opener is the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament history with 5784 runs from 192 games at an average of 34.84 and a strike rate of 126.64.

3. Kagiso Rabada:

Kagiso Rabada is one of the seasoned performers in the Indian Premier League. The Punjab Kings have bought him for the upcoming season for INR 9.25 crore. He has 76 scalps to his name in 50 IPL appearances at an average of 20.52 and an economy rate of 8.21. Rabada finished the 2021 season with 15 wickets from as many games.

However, his all-time best performance came during the 2020 edition where he bagged the Purple Cap award for taking 30 wickets from 17 outings at an average of 18.26 and an economy rate of 8.34.  The Proteas pacer played an instrumental role in DC reaching their maiden IPL final where they went down to the Mumbai Indians in a one-sided contest.