Shreyas’ role, at No. 3, will be to add stability to a line-up that has power-hitters aplenty.
| Photo Credit: special arrangement

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.

The bowling arsenal looks promising and exciting. The pace-battery will be led by the ever-reliable Arshdeep Singh, who was brought back using the Right-to-Match (RTM) option at the auction. V. Vyshak, Yash Thakur, Kuldeep Sen and Lockie Ferguson provide depth and variety.

Arshdeep Singh.
| Photo Credit:
FILE PHOTO: R.V. MOORTHY

South Africa all-rounder Marco Jansen — who is expected to bat at No. 7 — will act as the bridge between the bowling and batting wings though his primary duty will be to deliver early wickets and set up the game for the tweakers.

Wily leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, IPL’s most prolific bowler, will be complemented by the left-arm spin of Harpreet Brar, whose strengths lie in accuracy and wicket-to-wicket line.

All things considered, the Kings do have the firepower to go all the way. But the question remains: can they exorcise the ghosts of the past and produce a winning blueprint to back the personnel?