Punjab Kings (PBKS) had the highest salary limit of Rs. 53.20 crore in the IPL 2021 auction. PBKS paid Rs. 47.90 crore during the mini-auction to purchase 9 cricketers. Punjab Kings purchased Australian pace bowler Jhye Richardson for Rs. 14 crores and Riley Meredith for Rs. 8 crores to address a lack of quality pace bowlers in the squad.
Shahrukh Khan and Moises Henriques, both all-rounders, were bought for Rs. 5.25 crore and Rs. 4.2 crore, respectively, by PBKS.
Dawid Malan joined PBKS for Rs. 1.5 crore as his base bid. PBKS have purchased cricketers Fabian Allen (Rs. 75 lakh), Jalaj Saxena (Rs. 30 lakh), Saurabh Kumar (Rs. 20 lakh), and Utkarsh Singh (Rs. 20 lakh) during the auction.
PBKS released nine players from their squad ahead of the IPL 2021 auction. The Punjab Kings had to say farewell to Glenn Maxwell, Sheldon Cottrell, Mujeeb Zadran, Hardus Viljoen, James Neesham, Krishnappa Gowtham, Karun Nair, Jagadeesha Suchith, and Tejinder Singh Dhillon.
Punjab Kings finished last in the IPL 2020 season. Following the inclusion of nine new players, PBKS will send its best 11 players to the field in order for them to put in a strong showing during the tournament.
In IPL 2021, only a few players can participate in all of the games, as their participation will help the team advance to the next level. Here are the five Punjab Kings players who will appear in any IPL match in 2021.
5 Players From Punjab Kings Play Every Match
1. KL Rahul
KL Rahul, who is also the PBKS captain, proved his worth to the team by winning the orange cap in IPL 2020. In 14 games, the wicket-keeper batsman scored 670 runs, including one century and five half-centuries. PBKS have found a trustworthy skipper in KL Rahul, who can guide the team to a title victory.
Right-handed batsman Rahul has had a few decent innings in the India vs Australia 2020 ODI and T20I series after IPL 2020. Rahul, who will play as an opener, wicketkeeper, and captain for Punjab Kings in the IPL 2021, is expected to appear in every game.
2. Chris Gayle
Chris Gayle appeared late in the IPL 2020 tournament, and as a result, he was only able to play seven matches for PBKS. He did, however, show a snapshot of the infamous “Gayle storm” in just seven games. In seven innings, he shattered three half-centuries, with one knock of 99 runs being considered nearly a century.
Gayle, a left-handed batsman, also smashed 23 sixes in just seven games, demonstrating how lethal he was with the bat in IPL 2021. In IPL 2020, PBKS only managed to win four games and finished fifth in the points table. This time, the franchisee will commit to putting Chris Gayle on the field for every game in the IPL 2021, in order to make them a top team.
3. Mohammed Shami
The most seasoned pace bowler in the Punjab Kings squad is Mohammed Shami. Shami was the top wicket-taker for PBKS in IPL 2020, with 20 wickets in 14 games. Punjab Kings did not replace him with any other bowler in any match due to his bowling efficiency.
In the IPL 2021 auction, PBKS signed Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith, two young pacers. PBKS, on the other hand, will always keep Mohammad Shami in the starting lineup.
4 . David malan
Punjab Kings purchased Dawid Malan for Rs. 1.5 crore during the IPL 2021 auction, and he became a member of the team. David Malan, an English cricketer, has recently risen to the top of the T20I batsman rankings. He ascended to the top of the ICC’s T20I batsmen list with a series of swashbuckling knocks.
PBKS will give Malan a strong chance in the IPL 2021 with such an in-form batsman in the lineup. Dawid Malan, a left-handed batsman, is scheduled to play every game for PBKS in the IPL 2021.
5. Jhye Richardson
Punjab Kings did not hesitate to splash out Rs. 14 crores on Australian pacer Jhye Richardson. This large sum demonstrates Punjab Kings’ commitment to the 24-year-old youngster. PBKS, along with Mohammad Shami, will have plenty of chances for the bowler to demonstrate his abilities.
He will be one of the overseas bowlers who PBKS will not drop from the starting 11 in any IPL 2021 contest.