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Writer's pictureJagruti Panda

IPL 2025: Punjab Kings squad complete analysis, Probable playing XI

Punjab Kings (PBKS) full squad composition, Probable playing XI and IPL 2025 auction analysis. How did Punjab fare at the IPL 2025 Auction? A complete Punjab Kings squad analysis.


IPL 2025_ PBKS Squad complete analysis, Probable playing XI _ Walking Wicket (Images: ©IPLT20/X)
Punjab Kings probable playing XI looks weak in middle order (Images: ©IPLT20/X)

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction took place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, at the Abady Al-Johar Arena on November 24-25, with 577 players up for grabs. The 10 franchises filled 182 of the 204 available slots, spending a total of ₹ 639.15 crore, surpassing the ₹ 551.70 crore spent in the 2022 auction. Punjab Kings made headlines on the first day, splashing ₹ 26.75 crore on Shreyas Iyer, making him the second most expensive player in IPL history.


PBKS entered the auction with the highest purse of ₹110.5 crore, retaining only two uncapped players: Prabhsimran Singh and Shashank Singh. The franchise focused on assembling a strong core, acquiring key players like Shreyas Iyer, Arshdeep Singh, and Yuzvendra Chahal. Out of 12 players in Marquee Set 1 & 2, PBKS spent a whopping 57% (₹ 62.75 crores) of their total budget of ₹ 110.50 crores on 3 India players, making their intent clear on building a team with a strong India core, which was the missing link in the previous editions.


Other notable purchases included the likes of Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Nehal Wadhera, Josh Inglis, Harpreet Brar, Lockie Ferguson, and latest sensation Priyansh Arya to further solidify their core strength. This strategy marks an ambitious reset for PBKS to contend with the challenge of the toughest and longest T20 league more effectively in 2025.

PBKS underwent a significant overhaul during the IPL 2025 mega auction. They bid aggressively for Shreyas Iyer, who remains the only captain in IPL history to reach the finals with two different teams—the Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders.



Let’s get a clear picture and delve deeper into how the overall PBKS squad is gearing ahead for the much-awaited 2025 IPL season. 


Punjab Kings squad composition IPL 2025

Shashank Singh, Prabhsimran Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Nehal Wadhera, Glenn Maxwell, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Yash Thakur, Harpreet Brar, Vishnu Vinod, Marco Jansen, Lockie Ferguson, Josh Inglis, Xavier Bartlett, Kuldeep Sen, Pyla Avinash, Suryansh Shedge, Musheer Khan, Harnoor Pannu, Aaron Hardie, Priyansh Arya, Azmatullah Omarzai.


Batters & Wicket-keepers 

The batting looks solid, with a mix of young and experienced players in the top 6 who have monstrous power-hitting abilities. They can go berserk in the powerplay overs. It will be a headache for the management to find a suitable opening partner for Prabhsimran Singh. They can either try Josh Inglis or Marcus Stoinis, depending upon the playing conditions and how the playing XI builds up. 


The middle-order batting will be bolstered with the presence of batters like Shreyas Iyer and Glenn Maxwell. Both Iyer and Maxwell are known for their aggressive intent against spin and long six-hitting abilities. Iyer’s pre-auction form was a testament to his hitting prowess. His recent outing in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy opener against Goa, where he scored an unbeaten knock of 130 off 57 balls at a strike rate of 228.07, was laced with 11 boundaries and 10 sixes. The team has got a good set of finishers in Shashank Singh, Nehal Wadhera, and Marco Jansen. 


The batting department may rely heavily on the inexperienced Prabhsimran Singh, Shashank Singh, and Nehal Wadhera if senior players misfire. The team also missed a trick by having only one left-handed batter (Nehal Wadhera) in the mix, which won’t allow for too many left-right batting combinations.


List of batters and wicket-keerpers: Shreyas Iyer, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Shashank Singh, Josh Inglis (wk), Vishnu Vinod (wk), Nehal Wadhera, Harnoor Pannu, Pyla Avinash, and Suryansh Shedge.



CWC 2023_ Shreyas Iyer has scored 526 runs in ODI World Cup 2023 _ Walking Wicket (Photo_ ©ICC_Twitter)
Punjab Kings bought Shreyas Iyer for INR 26.75 crore (Photo: ©ICC/X)

All-rounders

Punjab Kings have strengthened their squad with versatile all-rounders like Azmatullah Omarzai, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Glenn Maxwell, Harpreet Brar, and Aaron Hardie. This gives PBKS a wealth of all-rounder combinations to explore in their quest for consistent success.


The team is heavily dependent upon Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell, who are proven match winners. In IPL 2014, Maxwell’s gruesome hitting was one of the key catalysts in ushering the then Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) to their maiden IPL final. He played 16 innings in the 2014 edition and scored 552 runs at an astounding strike rate of 187.75. They can use a few overs of spin by Maxwell in the middle overs as well. 


Marcus Stoinis’s all-around abilities were instrumental in taking the Delhi Capitals to their first-ever final in IPL 2020. In 17 matches he played during the 2020 season, he scored 352 runs at a healthy strike rate of 148.52. He also took 13 wickets at an average of 21.76. Furthermore, he was one of the top performers for the Lucknow Super Giants in the 2023 season, where he scored 408 runs in 15 innings at 150 S/R. Moreover, he took 5 wickets and helped LSG reach the playoffs. Their significant contributions with both bat and ball hold the crucial key for the Kings.


The team is studded with a lot of pace bowling all-rounders, including Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Azmatullah Omarzai, and Aaron Hardie. Marcus Stoinis and Marco Jansen are expected to make the final cut into the playing XI and add dimensions and depth to their batting and bowling. Omarzai and Hardie can be great backup options for Stoinis and Jansen in case of injuries.


All-rounders list: Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Harpreet Brar, Marco Jansen, Aaron Hardie, Azmatullah Omarzai, Priyansh Arya, Musheer Khan.



Bowlers

Punjab Kings have also strengthened their bowling department by signing Arshdeep Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal. The two possess the capability to come, bowl, and hunt for wickets at any period of the game. The powerplay and death bowling look well sorted, with Arshdeep Singh and Marco Jansen taking the charge. The team has good spinning options in Yuzvendra Chahal and Harpreet Brar, alongside all-rounder Glenn Maxwell. They have a varied bowling attack, a good blend of bowlers from both domestic and international circuits. It includes the likes of Yash Thakur, Vyshakh Vijayakumar, Kuldeep Sen, Lockie Ferguson, Xavier Bartlett etc.


Arshdeep Singh is one of the brightest assets who can actually bowl well in all phases of the game. He has substantially improved his death bowling. Since 2022 in T20Is, Arshdeep Singh has been the leading wicket-taker in powerplay overs (1-6 overs) with 37 wickets under his belt at a decent economy of 7.51. He is also the leading wicket-taker in the death overs with 46 scalps at an economy rate of 9.11. This is one of the few areas of concern where he needs to put in an acute patchwork. Arshdeep recently featured in a 4-match T20I series against South Africa, where he took eight wickets in four matches at a modest economy rate of 8.79 and a bowling average of 15.38.


Yuzvendra Chahal is one of the modern-day legends in IPL history. He is the leading wicket-taker of the IPL with 205 wickets in 160 matches at an average of 22.44. Moreover, he was the Purple Cap holder of the 2022 edition with 27 wickets. Chahal has taken 152 wickets in the middle overs in the IPL (7th to 16th over), which is the most for any bowler in this phase. He has also started to bowl at the death since 2023. If required, he can be handy alongside Arshdeep and Jansen.


Bowlers list: Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Yash Thakur, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Kuldeep Sen, Xavier Bartlett, Lockie Ferguson, Pravin Dubey.


Punjab Kings Probable Playing XI IPL 2025

Marcus Stoinis, Prabhsimran Singh (w/k), Shreyas Iyer (c), Glenn Maxwell, Shashank Singh/Priyansh Arya, Nehal Wadhera, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar, Lockie Ferguson/Aaron Hardie, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal


Conclusion

Inconsistencies and constant change in the leadership and coaching staff over the years have been Punjab’s major hurdles. Having entered the auction with the biggest purse, Punjab’s move to rebuild from scratch worked well. Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, and Marco Jansen are the three overseas certainties in the XI. They can rotate Azmatullah Omarzai, Josh Inglis, and Lockie Ferguson per need. Apart from investing heavily in established IPL stars, the team has shown immense faith in local uncapped talents.


The new squad is strengthened under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer and coach Ricky Ponting, focusing on balance across batting, bowling, and leadership. With both Iyer and Ponting, who previously led the Delhi Capitals to their first-ever final in 2020, at the helm, the team is poised for a strategic shift towards stability, tactical insight, and long-term planning.


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