Aakash Chopra blasts PBKS again for releasing Shahrukh Khan; exposes team's major weaknesses

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra highlighted the Punjab Kings’ weaknesses ahead of the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Aakash Chopra emphasized that the Punjab Kings team lacks experienced Indian batters and finishers for the IPL 2024.

The Kings have consistently underperformed in IPL history. They have been present in every season but have failed to secure a title. Despite reaching the semifinals in 2008 and finishing as runners-up in 2014, they haven’t replicated that success in subsequent seasons.

The Punjab Kings endured a disappointing run last season, finishing eighth in the points table. The Shikhar Dhawan-led side managed to secure six wins out of 14 league-stage matches in the IPL 2023. They last qualified for the playoffs in the 2014 season of the tournament.

Jitesh Sharma Too Doesn’t Have Much Experience – Aakash Chopra

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra expressed concern about the Punjab Kings‘ batting lineup. Chopra noted that the team released Shahrukh Khan without finding a suitable replacement for effectively finishing games.

“The Indian batting apart from Shikhar Dhawan looks extremely inexperienced. The names are good but the experience is very less. Since Jitesh Sharma has played for India, we say that he is experienced and a very good player, but he too doesn’t have much experience,” Chopra said.

“He is also a newish player although very impressive and with a lot of potential. You let Shahrukh Khan go but didn’t take anyone to replace him. You expect Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone and Jitesh Sharma to finish games but all of them were there last year as well,” he added.

Shahrukh Khan amassed 156 runs with a remarkable strike rate of 165.95 in 13 innings during the previous season. The Mohali-based franchise attempted to secure him during last year’s auction, but the Gujarat Titans (GT) outbid them by spending Rs 7.40 crore.

Rahul Chahar Did Not Have A Good Last Season – Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra expressed concern about the limited options in spin bowling, highlighting the team’s shortage of spinners. He suggested that they might struggle due to overreliance on overseas batters, except for Shikhar Dhawan.

“When I see the spin department, there are a lot of good options available in fast bowling, but what about the spinners, my friend? Rahul Chahar did not have a good last season. You see Harpreet Brar bowling with Rahul Chahar and Sikandar Raza at times but where are the other spinners?” Chopra further stated.

“This team does not have too many spinners and the lack of spinners is definitely a cause for concern. This team can get stuck on spin-friendly pitches because they don’t have those many spinners. Since they have a slight overdependence on overseas batters, barring Shikhar, they will get stuck there as well,” he concluded.

Rahul Chahar stands as the sole experienced specialist spinner in the Punjab Kings’ lineup, but his performance faltered last season with just eight wickets at an economy rate of 7.75 in 14 games. Harpreet Brar provides another spinning option for the team.

The Punjab-based team will begin their IPL 2024 journey against the Delhi Capitals on Saturday, March 23, at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur.

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