PBKS ( Photo source : IPL )
Punjab Kings is one franchise that loves a fresh start – every now and then. In the last mega auction, they spent big and signed some big-name cricketers like Shikhar Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, Kagiso Rabada and Jonny Bairstow among others but when it comes to on-field performances, they always lack something which results in them not qualifying for the playoffs. They are also one of the three sides in the IPL (featuring from 2008) that have not held the trophy once.
Ahead of the IPL 2025, they are once again thinking about changes and starting afresh to challenge for the title. When teams like Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad were pushing for continuity in the recent BCCI meeting, PBKS made it clear that they were against retaining the majority of the players and wanted every team to get a fair opportunity to rebuild a squad for the upcoming season.
Punjab won’t shy from releasing the majority of their players. Their captain Shikhar Dhawan has already announced retirement and won’t be playing in the upcoming IPL. It leaves them with fewer match-winning players, out of which, these are three cricketers that they would let go despite being regarded as top cricketers.
3. Jonny Bairstow
Punjab signed Jonny Bairstow in the 2022 IPL mega-auction. He was a force to reckon with in limited-overs cricket and was thought to make a huge difference in Punjab. However, that didn’t happen. The England international played 11 matches in the 2022 edition and scored just 253 runs at a strike rate of 144.57.
Despite having a flop year, Punjab backed him for 2023 but the cricketer didn’t join the squad as he was nursing an injury. In 2024, he returned and played 11 matches for the team and scored 298 runs at a strike rate of 152.82. It wasn’t good enough as PBKS failed to qualify for the playoffs.
He was expected to take charge and become one of the leaders in the locker room but Bairstow could never do justice to the talent he possessed. Currently, he is out of all three formats for England and it may even happen that the keeper-batter might struggle to find an IPL franchise for himself next season.
2. Liam Livingstone
Punjab Kings signed Liam Livingstone for INR 11.50 crore. Along with Bairstow, he was expected to dominate the middle overs and help the franchise challenge for the title. It however didn’t pan out the way they thought. He had a fantastic time in the 2022 edition of the competition, in which he scored 437 runs in 14 matches and also picked up six wickets but the following two seasons were disastrous.
He scored 279 and 111 runs in nine and seven matches in the 2023 and 2024 seasons, respectively. He was never a regular in the team due to injury concerns and that bothered the franchise to find consistency. The 31-year-old also struggled to get going with the bat and now it is unlikely that the team would show their trust once again on Livingstone.
Given his ability to play an aggressive brand of cricket and also bowl in the middle overs, Livingstone is unlikely to go unsold in the mega-auction. However, it’s very unlikely that he will be sold for as much amount as he was in 2022.
Also Read: IPL 2025: Top 3 players DC might release ahead of the mega-auction
1. Harshal Patel
Harshal Patel finished as the leading wicket-taker of IPL 2024. They surely won’t let him leave ahead of the mega-auction, right? Well, it’s Punjab. They don’t hesitate in letting players go. The franchise signed him for INR 11.75 crore in the auction and he had done a good job but Punjab would hope to sign a bigger name as Harshal can prove to be inconsistent, which is one of the reasons behind Royal Challengers Bengaluru letting him go after 2023 season.
Punjab would likely retain Arshdeep Singh for the next season. He recently played a vital role in India winning the T20 World Cup and the pacer has also done well for the franchise in the 65 games that he has played. Retaining two pacers, despite them being of different nature, is not something that Punjab would eye as their goal is to start afresh, including a new pace department.
Harshal’s age is also a massive reason why PBKS can let him go. He is currently 33 and the franchise would hope to sign someone younger who would be available throughout the next cycle.