IPL 2025 PBKS countdown | Will it be coronation for the Kings at last?

Punjab Kings face challenges with new leadership and a mix of experienced and young players in IPL 2022.

It’s fair to say change has been the only constant for Punjab Kings.

The franchise tweaked its name, went through 16 captains and 10 coaches in 17 seasons, and almost always had a major overhaul come auction time. Success, however, has remained elusive.

The last time the Punjab outfit made the Indian Premier League playoffs, M.S. Dhoni was still an active Test cricketer and Lewis Hamilton had just one Drivers’ Championship.

The onus is now on the Shreyas Iyer-Ricky Ponting alliance to take the Kings one step further than their runners-up finish in 2014. And there is scope for hope given that the duo had an impressive stint in Delhi Capitals colours.

The skipper’s role, at No. 3, will be to add stability to a line-up that has power-hitters aplenty.

In Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis and Azmatullah Omarzai, the side has enough and more foreign willow-wielders; the same, however, cannot be said about the Indian part of the set-up. Hence, it is imperative that Prabhsimran Singh and Shashank Singh — PBKS’ only two retentions ahead of the auction — have a good season.

The likes of Nehal Wadhera, Musheer Khan and Vishnu Vinod need to chip in when called upon.