5 Former Players Punjab Kings Should Target In IPL 2022 Auction

Punjab Kings have again struggled to find their rhythm going this season and they will have to work on picking up a better squad of players with good IPL experience. The lack of depth in the squad has always hurt their title plans and the mega auction could be the best place for them to build a strong core.

The skipper KL Rahul has been the only consistent performer for the franchise while Gayle is not getting any younger. They need a lot of quality Indian pacers who can do the job on a consistent basis and here are 5 former players Punjab Kings should target in IPL 2022 auction.

5 Former Players Punjab Kings Should Target:

Marcus Stoinis:

The Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis despite having an excellent season in the last edition could be the one to miss out as the Delhi Capitals have a lot of overseas stars to be retained. This might open the doors for Punjab Kings who are searching for a quality all-rounder who can bat at the middle order and bowl a few overs.

Stoinis has been a great addition to the Delhi franchise and has been performing consistently for the side. He has given the perfect balance for the side and he is going to be a big target for all the franchises too. He played for the Punjab franchise from 2016 to 2018 edition and he should be one of the targets for Punjab Kings.

Ishant Sharma:

Ishant Sharma has groomed himself to be a better T20 bowler now and does bring a lot of value to the team. Being the senior pacer of the Indian test team, he makes sure that he doesn’t give away many runs and has been bowling really well in the powerplay.

Delhi might retain Avesh Khan and hence Ishant might go into the auction which Punjab should note. Ishant Sharma has played for the Punjab franchise in the 2017 edition and was released after just one year. Ishant can form a great bowling partnership with the likes of Mohammed Shami and Punjab Kings do not have many experienced Indian bowlers.

Sandeep Sharma:

Sandeep Sharma did really well in the last season for the Sunrisers Hyderabad at the back end of the tournament and he can certainly be very effective in the powerplay and the middle overs. Sunrisers haven’t used him to his strengths and they are most unlikely to retain him ahead of the mega auction.

Punjab has been short of Indian experienced pacers and Sandeep Sharma started his IPL career with the franchise in 2013 and played till the 2017 edition. He is in the top five bowlers with most maidens in IPL history and his big inswingers have caused a lot of trouble in the past. Punjab Kings should go for the medium-pacer in the mega auction.

David Miller:

David Miller has had a big history with the Punjab franchise and he is one of the destructive finishers in the world right now. He has been in terrific form in international cricket in the last 12 months and he showed glimpses of his hitting power in two of the IPL games this year of the Rajasthan Royals.

Miller is most unlikely to be retained by the franchise and his good form recently should help Punjab Kings certainly. With a lack of experienced finisher in the squad, Miller could be the right player for them. He has been with the franchise from the 2012 edition to the 2019 edition and will certainly be on the radar of the franchise.

Shardul Thakur:

The Indian pacer has been in good international form but did not perform as he would have liked for the Chennai Super Kings this year. He picked up 5 wickets in the 7 games he played and was very expensive with his economy rate. But he can play a huge role for the Punjab franchise if gets picked up.

Chennai Super Kings are most unlikely to continue with him and hence, he might be up for grabs in the auction. Thakur was part of the Punjab squad in the 2015 and 2016 editions and the all-rounder can be destructive coming down the order. He is a wicket-taking bowler and gives everything on the field for the captain.