IPL 2023: Punjab Kings SWOT Analysis

Punjab Kings let go of their captain Mayank Agarwal ahead of the mini-auction and bought six new players. The Punjab-based franchise has not been able to win a single title of the Indian Premier League since the league’s inception in 2008. Notably Punjab announced Shikhar Dhawan as their new captain for the 16th edition.

Let us do a SWOT analysis of the Punjab Kings ahead of IPL 2023:

Strengths

Punjab have a good seam bowling attack in their arsenal, having the likes of Arshdeep Singh, Sam Curran and Kagiso Rabada. Arshdeep has been performing exceptionally for his side over the past few years while Rabada can unsettle the batters with his searing pace. Sam Curran became the most expensive player in IPL history. Punjab bought him for a whopping INR 18.50 crore at the mini-auction. The bowling trio can prove to be lethal for the opposition at any stage of the match.

Weaknesses

Apart from Shikhar Dhawan, Punjab does not have much experience in their batting which can prove to be detrimental if the experienced players get out early at the top. The onus will be on Rajapaksa and Livingstone in the middle order to save the team from an early collapse. With not many stable batters in the squad, Punjab’s batting is a big weak link for the upcoming season.

Opportunities

Punjab bought the Zimbabwe allrounder Sikandar Raza for INR 50 lakh at the mini-auction. Raza has been in exceptional form of late and can prove to be a valuable asset for Punjab with both bat and ball. It will also be a great opportunity for Shikhar Dhawan who will be leading the side this year. With the amount of experience he has playing in the league, he has a massive opportunity at hand to take his side to glory this year and make a remarkable comeback after his ouster from the Indian team this year.

Threats

The team is heavily reliant on the English players Liam Livingstone and Sam Curran. Further, Punjab’s spin bowling department lacks bite as they are dependent on Rahul Chahar who has not had many great seasons so far.

Punjab Kings updated squad: