The Punjab Kings will head into the IPL 2021 auction with the fattest purse among all eight franchises. With a whopping ₹53.2 crore in their balance, the Kings need to fill 14 positions – nine domestic players and five overseas after they had released nine players from the squad. The franchise eyes a complete overhaul having let go Glenn Maxwell, along with Karun Nair, Hardus Viljoen, Jagadeesha Suchith, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Sheldon Cottrell, Jimmy Neesham, Krishnappa Gowtham and Tajinder Singh.
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Ahead of the auction, in which a total of 292 players will be up for grabs, Kings skipper KL Rahul weighed in on the one element the team is missing and wants to acquire. "I think it has been quite straight-forward and obvious in the last three seasons that we have missed somebody in the middle order with experience who can close down games and win us games in the middle," Rahul said on the IPL Auction: Curtain Raiser show on Star Sports.
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"And someone who can bowl fast is always exciting, it’s quite a weapon to have in the team. These are two things that we missed, or we did have in the team but unfortunately, they couldn't come good."
{{/usCountry}}"And someone who can bowl fast is always exciting, it’s quite a weapon to have in the team. These are two things that we missed, or we did have in the team but unfortunately, they couldn't come good."
{{/usCountry}}Last season, the Punjab Kings finished sixth on the IPL 2020 points table. They began their campaign with a Super Over Loss which was followed by a win. But from there, six defeats in a row forced them to play catch up. Although they regrouped to five consecutive matches, it wasn't enough to seal them a place in the Playoffs. This year around, the franchise has a chance to set the record straight.
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"It is a little nerve-wrecking, we are kind of excited – we do have a big purse this time and probably the biggest purse. There are certain slots that we absolutely need to fill, and we are going to try to do our best. Auctions are usually very dynamic; you don’t know who is going to lose the plot," Kings co-owner Preity Zinta said.
"If one team decided to you know, No... there’s always this balance, you keep thinking you can put someone here – it’s a whole thing that you have to look at; they are really dynamic. We have done a lot of homework this time and I’m crossing my fingers; we can focus on that. With all the Covid protocols, it’s been a little tough, but we will know what’s going to happen soon. Let’s wait and watch."