3 players whom PBKS should retain ahead of IPL 2025 mega auction Ft. Arshdeep Singh

PBKS have failed to qualify for the playoffs since 2015.

Punjab Kings (PBKS) is one team, who are in dire need of an overhaul ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. The franchise has not made it into the IPL playoffs since the 2014 edition when they played in the final of the tournament.

Since then, PBKS have changed and chopped their coaching staff, and captains multiple times, but the performance has been below average.

The IPL GC has approved the franchise to retain up to six players for the upcoming IPL mega auction through retentions and the Right To Match (RTM) card option. The six retentions/RTMs can include up to five capped players (Indian and overseas) and two uncapped players.

Every franchise has the option of choosing its own retention and RTM combinations for the auction.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reportedly set a deadline of 5 PM IST on October 31, 2024, for franchises to submit their retained player lists for the big auction.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the 3 players that PBKS should retain ahead of the IPL 2025 auction.

Here are 3 players whom PBKS should retain ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction:

1. Arshdeep Singh

Arshdeep Singh has been one of the finds of the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the IPL. Having made his IPL debut in 2019, after a successful outing with the Indian U19 team, that won the 2018 Youth World Cup, left-arm seamer has become a staple of the tournament.

Thanks to his amazing performances in the IPL, Arshdeep also made his India debut in 2022 and since then, has played two T20 World Cups. He was part of India’s T20 World Cup 2024 winning squad.

Coming to his numbers, Arshdeep has 76 wickets in 46 matches in IPL with best bowling figures of 5/32. He is a vital cog for PBKS, around whom, they can build their bowling unit. Arshdeep now also has a lot of experience in his kitty, spending time with the likes of Mohammad Shami and Jasprit Bumrah amongst others.  

2. Ashutosh Sharma

Ashutosh Sharma shone brightly in IPL 2024 for Punjab Kings and impressed one and all with his hitting prowess down the order. The Ratlam-born cricketer made his IPL debut for PBKS in IPL 2024 and hammered 189 runs in 11 matches. But, the impressive part was his runs came at a strike rate of 167.26.

Ashutosh is known for his penchant for hitting sixes and hit 15 sixes in his debut IPL year. Even in his T20 career, Ashutosh has 45 sixes in 23 innings and a strike rate of 187.07. He along with Shashank Singh, was instrumental for PBKS winning a few matches from position of no return. They hold the record for the highest chase ever in IPL history, against KKR, chasing down 262 runs.

3. Prabhsimran Singh

Prabhsimran Singh of Punjab made his IPL debut in 2019, but only flourished when he joined Punjab Kings. His best outing in IPL came in the 2023 edition when he scored 358 runs including one century and one fifty while opening the innings for PBKS.

Even in the IPL 2024, Prabhsimran made 334 runs with 2 fifties at a strike rate of 156.81. In all, Singh has 756 runs in 34 IPL matches with a strike rate of 146.23 and a highest score of 103. He has hit 41 sixes and 78 fours as well.

Prabhsimran has a penchant for hitting from the get-go and fully utilizes the powerplay overs. Also, Prabhsimran Singh’s retention would also not hurt PBKS’ purse as he is an uncapped player and would only cost them INR 4 crores.

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