5 Lesser-Known Players You Didn’t Know Have Played For Punjab Kings

Kings XI Punjab changed their name to Punjab Kings at the start of IPL 2021. However, that hardly changed their fortunes as they still did not make it to the final four. In IPL 2021, the KL Rahul-led side finished sixth on the points table as their dream to win their maiden IPL title still remains a distant one. Over the years, the franchise has invested in a lot of reputed players with minimum returns. Heading into the 15th season of the IPL, their elusive title search continues.

Ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction, Punjab Kings retained just two players in Mayank Agarwal (14 Crores) and Arshdeep Singh (4 Crores). In the process, they parted ways with KL Rahul who had expressed his interest to go into the auction pool.

Meanwhile, in this article, we take a look at five lesser-known players who have played for the franchise in the past.

5 Lesser-Known Players You Didn’t Know Have Played For Punjab Kings

Simon Katich

Katich played for Punjab Kings in 2008 and played 11 matches for the side. He scored 241 runs of the Kings XI Punjab at a strike rate of 129 including two half-centuries. Katich was one of the senior members of the team and played the role of mentor as well. That remained his only IPL season as he took to coaching the IPL with KKR first and then RCB. He will join the Sunrisers Hyderabad coaching staff in IPL 2022.

Stuart Broad

Broad was roped in by the franchise ahead of IPL 2012 but that eventually did not happen. The 25-year-old missed out on making his IPL debut last year for Kings XI after picking up a side strain during the World Cup. Then Punjab skipper Adam Gilchrist termed his absence as a “big loss” for the side.

“Broad’s absence will be a big loss. He is a world-class bowler, a world-class all-rounder and a terrific person. We would have liked to have him here, but he’s not. The simple fact is that we have got to move on,” said Gilchrist.

Ravi Bopara

Bopara had a stop-start career with the Kings. He made his debut with the franchise in 2009. In 2010, he made a comeback playing 10 games for the franchise scoring nearly 250 runs. Overall, played 15 matches for the men in grey and pink scoring three fifties at an average of 25. He last played in IPL 2015 for Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Karun Nair

Nair had a fabulous start to his IPL career with Rajasthan Royals before making a switch to Punjab Kings. He had to fight for his place in the side. The presence of Glenn Maxwell, David Miller in the middle-order made it difficult for him to get a spot. Overall, he played just four games in IPL 2020 scoring just 16 runs to cap off a forgetful season.

Jimmy Neesham

Neesham was another player who spent most of his time with the franchise on the sidelines. He was a good buy for the franchise keeping in mind their overseas options but failed to get a place in the side due to the balance of the side.

In the 5 games that he played in the IPL 2020 season, Neesham was able to score just 19 runs take just 2 wickets at a very high economy of 9.86. He was roped in by Mumbai Indians in IPL 2021 but found it difficult to find a place in the Xi there as well.

Also Read: 5 Lesser-Known Players You Didn’t Know Have Played For Sunrisers Hyderabad