IPL 2021: SWOT Analysis – Punjab Kings seek a fresh start with change in identity

The Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) had a rollercoaster season in 2020. They lost one game after another and certainly looked pale in the first half of the tournament. Although in one exceptional fightback, they came back with five wins on the trot to raise their dead hopes for qualification. The early losses meant that they had to rely on other results for proceeding and in a heartbreaking affair, they failed to qualify, finishing 6th on the table. Ahead of a fresh season, here’s a SWOT analysis of the rechristened franchise:

Strengths 

KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Dawid Malan. Punjab Kings boast of one of the most deadly batting combinations for any team in the tournament. Their skipper Rahul was in red-hot form last year, as he ended up bagging the Orange Cap, and with Agarwal, he provided solid starts to the team multiple times. While Gayle missed out on games initially, once he came into the eleven, the team won five games in a row.

.@henrygayle bowling us all over! ?#SaddaPunjab #PunjabKings #IPL2021 #UniverseBoss pic.twitter.com/pC8mmo0vQu

— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) April 9, 2021

In their bowling unit, Punjab already had death-over specialists in Mohammad Shami and Chris Jordan, and with two new speedsters in Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith entering their squad, they have a daunting unit of fast bowling.

Weaknesses

Punjab’s major weakness has been the lack of consistency and ability of closing games. In the previous edition, even though they came back strongly, it was their habit of losing matches from a winning position that haunted them in the end.

Apart from that, the franchise would have liked to have some experience in the spin column. Though they possess the services of Ravi Bishnoi and M Ashwin, who both were impressive last year, their spin lacks the quality they have in the pace department.

Opportunities

For a franchise that is yet to win a title despite being around for 13 years, the biggest opportunity to create is to win the tournament. With a settled top-four and a brilliant pace attack, Punjab Kings must fancy their chance this time around. The new edition will be a chance for Ravi Bishnoi and Arshdeep Singh, who both were extremely impressive last year too, and young sensation Shahrukh Khan to hog the limelight.

? | Shahrukh, our new six-hitting machine doesn’t want to settle for a four! ?#SaddaPunjab #PunjabKings #IPL2021 pic.twitter.com/jes3lTgUUL

— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) April 8, 2021

Threats

The biggest threat to most of the teams is losing out players due to injuries. Last year, Punjab struggled on some occasions due to injuries and they would want all the players to be available this year. Further, their most crucial pacer Mohammad Shami has been away from action ever since he picked up an injury during the second Test of India’s tour of Australia. It remains to be seen how he fares at the start.