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IPL is less than 2 weeks away and the fans are eagerly waiting for the carnival to begin. Many teams have retained their core and have built a side around them. Some of the teams have gone in with a completely new team leaving behind players who have carried them over the years. One such franchise is Punjab Kings.

Punjab Kings managed to raise people’s eyebrows when they announced their retention list. The name everyone was expecting to be retained wasn’t there. A certain KL Rahul who has carried the franchise on his shoulders year in year out wasn't retained. It may be a mutual decision or Rahul’s decision not to be retained but it was a shocking move for the neutrals. A man who has been winning orange cap for fun with the same franchise was leaving it without winning them anything.

Punjab now had to build a new squad. They retained Mayank Agarwal and Arshdeep Singh. Bishnoi was given a new contract by Lucknow Super Giants with KL Rahul. There seemed a clear friction between Punjab management and Rahul, Bishnoi. It meant Punjab had to fill various positions and make sure they have a team that could challenge for the title as they have never won a single title since the inception of the IPL.

The auction went pretty well for Punjab and this is the team that they have formed.

If one looks at this team, one will find they have bolstered the top order with deadly batters like Shikhar Dhawan, a great veteran to have in the team and then Jonny Bairstow, the best limited overs batter in world cricket. They have then backed it up with Liam Livingstone who can go hammer and tongs right from ball one. IPL being held in Mumbai provides a perfect platform for their batters to showcase what they are capable of. Mayank Agarwal can do the same role KL Rahul has been doing for years ,i.e, to anchor the innings.

Their middle order has destructive batters in the form of Shah Rukh Khan and Raj Bawa the u-19 superstar. If one has a look at the top 6 of all the teams, Punjab’s top 6 looks more settled and gives one an assurance that they will do the job. Rishi Dhawan is another all rounder who has been doing consistently well in domestic cricket and can prove to be handy at no 7 & 8.

If one looks at their bowling department, they will find that they have done pretty well to grab Kagiso Rabada and Odean Smith at the auctions. They had already retained Arshdeep Singh. They have picked Rahul Chahar this year as their spinner. Rahul Chahar might not be a like to like replacement for Ravi Bishnoi but he has done the job for Mumbai Indians over years and will be expected to do the same for Punjab as well. He will be supported by Harpreet Brar in the spin department.

Punjab Kings Likely 11:

Mayank Agarwal, Shikhar Dhawan, Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Shahrukh Khan, Raj Bawa, Odean Smith, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar.

Strengths:

One of the best and the most destructive top 5 you can see in any of the teams. All of them can win a game single-handedly. It will be interesting to see who opens among Mayank, Jonny and Dhawan. All of them have opened previously but now it seems Jonny will have to bat at 3. He bats at 4 for England in International T20s.

Weakness:

Fragile lower middle order can be a concern against the top sides while closing out games. Odean, Harpreet, Rishi Dhawan, Raj Bawa haven’t been known as renowned finishers. It will be tough to bank on them to chase 80 off the final 7 overs every game. If Rabada doesn’t click, then their bowling looks weak as well with no one who can stem the flow of runs from the other end.

Predictions:

With the top order that they have, we are predicting Punjab to be in the top 4. This year they have a great chance to make it to the finals and even win it. It depends on how they gel up with each other. All of them have individually got in them what it takes to be crowned the king of the world. It's just that we need to see how they perform as a team.