5 Worst Signings By Punjab Kings (PBKS) In IPL History

Punjab Kings is one franchise that has observed the least success in the Indian Premier League. The team, which was known as Kings XI Punjab before IPL 2021, has never won an IPL title. Moreover, in the 13 seasons they played, they reached the playoffs only on two occasions- IPL 2008 and IPL 2014.

In IPL 2008, Punjab Kings finished on the 3rd spot. In IPL 2014, they ended up as runners-up after losing the final to Kolkata Knight Riders.

In IPL 2021, Punjab Kings finished on the 6th spot in the points table before the tournament got suspended. The KL Rahul-led side won 3 matches out of 8. Punjab Kings is a franchise that has been associated with popular international cricketers in the past like Yuvraj Singh, Kumar Sangakkara, Mehala Jayawardena, Adam Gilchrist, Virender Sehwag, Glenn Maxwell among others.

In the current squad too, Punjab Kings has some powerful players like KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, and Jhye Richardson. However, the franchise has also signed few worst deals in the previous seasons. Here we take a look at the 5 worst singings by Punjab Kings in IPL history.

5 Worst Signings By Punjab Kings (PBKS) In IPL History

Glenn Maxwell (IPL 2020)

Punjab Kings bought Australian cricketer Glenn Maxwell for Rs. 10.75 crores during IPL 2020 auction. Maxwell is a hard-hitting batsman but he came up with a poor show for the franchise in the season.

He scored just 108 runs in 11 innings with a poor strike rate of 101+ and a batting average of 15.42. He also did not manage to hit a single six during the tournament. Hence, the massive deal by PKBS for Maxwell went in vain. Ahead of IPL 2021, the franchise also released Maxwell from the squad.

Varun Aaron (IPL 2017)

Punjab Kings bought pacer Varun Aaron for Rs. 2.5 crore during IPL 2017 auction. The right-arm pacer played 6 matches for the team, but only picked 7 wickets. He had an economy of 8.15 which wasn’t that impressive.

Due to his inefficiency with the ball, the team benched him for the rest of the games during the season. Hence, the 2.5 deal for the right-arm pacer did not come out to be fruitful.

Eoin Morgan (IPL 2017)

In IPL 2017 auction, Punjab Kings shelled out Rs. 2 crores to induct English cricketer Eoin Morgan in the squad. Being England skipper, Morgan was expected to be one of the star performers in the season.

However, the right-handed batsman could only pile up 65 runs in the 4 matches that he played at an average of just 16.25. His highest score was only 26 runs and he also lost his wickets cheaply in all the 4 matches he batted. Morgan was also benched by the team for the rest of the 10 matches.

Ishant Sharma (IPL 2017)

Ishant Sharma went unsold in IPL 2017 auction but Punjab Kings signed the Indian pacer to replace Murali Vijay in the squad. Vijay was ruled out of the tournament due to an injury. However, buying Ishant Sharma turned out to be a bad decision for the franchise.

The right-arm pacer played 6 matches and remained wicketless in all the games. He also turned out to be expensive with his bowling economy of 9.94. Sharma was also benched for the rest of the 8 games.

Gurkeerat Mann Singh (IPL 2015- IPL 2017)

Gurkeerat Mann Singh was picked by Punjab Kings in IPL 2014 auction for Rs. 1.3 crore.  He did not play any game in the 2014 season but the franchise retained him for the next season. In IPL 2015, the right-handed batsman played 5 matches but lost his wickets cheaply in all the games.

He lost his wicket for single-digit scores in multiple games, managing the highest score of just 15. He played two more seasons for the franchise but never managed to showcase an impressive performance. Due to this, he was also in and out of the playing 11. He was finally dropped from the squad after IPL 2017 season.