IPL 2022: Ahead of the upcoming 15th edition of the tournament, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has named one team which will find it tough to win the competition this year
Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season is just a couple of days away, and the fans are expecting a thriller of an edition with two new teams joining the fray. Every team has managed to create a solid squad and every franchise has some solid match-winners in their ranks. Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has however identified one franchise which will find it tough to win the competition this season due to “lack of impact player”. However, he also said that due to this very fact, the Punjab Kings can surprise a few people as well in the tournament, but to see them go all the way this edition looks unlikely at the current stage.
“Punjab Kings is one of those teams that have not managed to win the IPL. This time, I don’t think they have an impact player in their squad but this can benefit the team as well. When there are very low expectations, there is very less pressure and when the pressure is less, the players are freer in their approach,” Gavaskar told Sports Tak.
“In that aspect, I think Punjab Kings can surprise a few. Will they win the trophy? I doubt that. See, this is a T20 format and you have to be in that consistent cycle of winning,” he stated further.
At the mega auction, Punjab Kings bought the likes of Jonny Bairstow, Kagiso Rabada, Liam Livingstone and Shahrukh Khan. The side also roped in experienced opening batter Shikhar Dhawan. This season, Punjab would be led by Mayank Agarwal.
The IPL 2022 will begin on March 26 with the tournament opener being played between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders. Punjab Kings will open their campaign on March 27 against the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Punjab Kings Squad: Mayank Agarwal, Arshdeep Singh, Shikhar Dhawan, Kagiso Rabada, Jonny Bairstow, Rahul Chahar, Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Prabhsimran Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Ishan Porel, Liam Livingstone, Odean Smith, Sandeep Sharma, Raj Angad Bawa, Rishi Dhawan, Prerak Mankad, Vaibhav Arora, Writtick Chatterjee, Baltej Dhanda, Ansh Patel, Nathan Ellis, Atharva Taide, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Benny Howell.
Source : Ndtv Sports