Punjab Kings are one of the six IPL sides that have featured in all 14 editions of the league, but they are yet to win their maiden IPL title. Over the years, they have been the biggest underachievers of IPL. PBKS retained just2 players in Mayank and Arshdeep Singh as they went for a complete overhaul. They bought back by the likes of Shahrukh Khan and Harpreet Brar at the IPL auction. It seemed as if PBKS wanted to rope in power-hitters. It was evident when they bought Jonny Bairstow, Shikhar Dhawan, Liam Livingstone and Odean Smith at the mega auction.
On paper, the PBKS squad looks strong with the addition of some of the biggest names in T20 cricket, but despite that, former Indian skipper and one of the greatest ever batters, Sunil Gavaskar, has doubts about the ability of the Mayank Agarwal-led Punjab Kings side to end the trophy drought this season, which has stretched to 14 years. In a conversation with the Sports Tak YouTube channel, the 72-year-old said, "Punjab Kings is one more team that has not won the IPL title yet." And if we look at the squad they have picked this time as well, then I don’t think they have got an impact player. "But this thing benefits the team as well, because if the expectations are low, then the pressure will also be low. And if the pressure is low, then any player can play more freely. So, in that way, I think the Punjab Kings can surprise a few teams in the course of the tournament. But will they go on and lift the title? I have a few doubts about it at the moment. But this is T20 cricket and in this format, if you win matches on a roll, things might change, "he said. Punjab Kings will begin their opening encounter with Royal Challengers Bangalore on March 27 at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai.
