IPL 2025: 3 Threats for Punjab Kings (PBKS)

Punjab Kings (PBKS) would get a medal if there were one for the worst underachievers in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Punjab-based squad has a far worse record than the other two, while being one of the three original member teams to never win the championship.

Only twice in their existence have PBKS made it to the playoffs, the first time being during the inaugural season in 2008. PBKS has never advanced past the first round since their sole final in 2014 when they were heartbreakingly defeated by the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Following yet another off-season of significant changes, PBKS enters the 2025 season. First, the team chose to hire Ricky Ponting as head coach in place of Travis Bayliss. Second, they bought Shreyas Iyer for INR 26.75 Cr in the IPL 2025 auction and named him captain.

Shreyas is the first-ever IPL-winning captain to not be retained by his franchise in the following season. Meanwhile, despite all these changes in personnel and a brand new squad, the Punjab Kings still have threats facing them in IPL 2025, and in this piece, we look at 3 of the biggest things that could intimidate PBKS.

Here are the 3 threats for Punjab Kings (PBKS) in IPL 2025:

1. Lack of experienced spinners

The PBKS side had only one big-name spinner on their side, and they put all their eggs in a basket named Yuzvendra Chahal. The other notable name in the spin department is that of Harpreet Brar, with Praveen Dubey and Glenn Maxwell for the company.

This means PBKS have limited their chances of picking up wickets and keeping things quiet in middle overs with the presence of possibly only two spinners in the playing XI. This can come back to bite them when they play on tracks where there is some assistance for spinners like Chennai and Lucknow.

2. Limited backup options

The PBKS is very dependent on foreign players like Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Lockie Ferguson, and Glenn Maxwell. Also, there will be Shreyas Iyer present, but all of these players are very injury prone. And PBKS has very little experience in their backup players like Musheer Khan, Suryansh Shedge, and Nehal Wadhera.

This lack of proper backups on the bench could be harmful for PBKS, as IPL is a long tournament with them playing 14 games at various venues. Punjab's season may suffer from a lack of backup options if any of these players are sidelined by injuries or poor form.

3. Pressure of performing well consistently

The biggest threat to PBKS, even with their impressive additions, is still their propensity to stumble in the middle of the season. If early results don't work out, the pressure to perform, especially with a new, expensive captain, might ruin their campaign.

The fact that most of the team will lack playoff experience poses an additional risk. Only a small number of players will have much playoff experience, which could affect how well they perform during pivotal tournament rounds. Overcoming this obstacle will require mental toughness.

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