Last Updated on 9 months ago by Charbel Coorey
Cricket News: 4 players PBKS should retain for IPL 2022 | 4 players Punjab Kings should retain ahead of IPL 2022 Mega Auction
Punjab Kings is one of those teams who promise a lot before every season, but unfortunately fail to deliver. They have had a number of quality players, but their performance hasn’t been up to the mark on most occasions. The Mega Auction before IPL 2022 is a great chance for them to assemble a strong squad and win the title for the first time in IPL 2022.
The Punjab Kings already have a few excellent players and they should retain them before going into the Mega Auction. Let’s take a look at the four players that the Punjab Kings should retain for IPL 2022.
4 players PBKS should retain before IPL 2022 Mega Auction
1. Mayank Agarwal
Mayank Agarwal without any doubts should be the first player to be retained by the Punjab Kings, especially considering KL Rahul will be parting ways with the franchise.
Mayank is one of the best openers in the tournament. He is super aggressive, exploits the powerplay well putting the opposition under pressure early. He has already shown what he is capable of and has played some phenomenal knocks for the Punjab Kings in the past.
He scored 441 runs in 12 games in IPL 2021 at an average of 40.09 and strike rate of 140.44, which shows that he has scored consistently and at a good strike rate as well. Mayank has also led the franchise on a few occasions in the absence of KL Rahul, so he can be the captain as well if they choose.
2. Aiden Markram
Punjab Kings should retain Aiden Markram for IPL 2022. The South African is an excellent batter and showed what he is capable of in the recently concluded T20 World Cup. He batted at number 4 for South Africa and scored 162 runs in five innings at an average of 54 and strike rate of 145.94.
Markam plays spin really well, can attack the pacers and knows how to play according to the situation, which makes him an excellent choice for batting at number 4 – often a difficult position in T20s.
3. Ravi Bishnoi
Ravi Bishnoi has already shown a lot of potential in his short IPL career. He caught the eyes of many fans and experts after the 2020 ICC U-19 World Cup where he ended up as the leading wicket-taker with 17 wickets.
He is a genuine wicket-taker and unlike traditional wrist spinners, he bowls fast leg-spin, which is the Meta right now in T20 cricket making him very valuable. Bishnoi picked 12 wickets in nine games in IPL 2021 at an economy of just 6.38. He can be a valuable asset for the Punjab Kings if groomed properly. He will be retained at a cheaper price as he has still uncapped, which is another good reason to retain him.
4. Arshdeep Singh
Having a good Indian pace bowler in your squad is essential, and Arshdeep Singh is one such pacer in the PBKS squad. The tall left-arm pacer from Punjab is fast, can bowl in the powerplay and in the death overs as well.
Arshdeep picked up 18 wickets in 12 games in IPL 2021 at an economy of 8.27, which is impressive as he bowled two of his four overs at the death in each match. He too is an uncapped player so it will be a wise decision to retain him as chances of him going for a higher price in the auction is almost certain, and he adds a lot of value to the Punjab squad being a good Indian fast bowler with a lot of potential.
Even if KL Rahul is no longer at the franchise, Punjab Kings can still build a solid team around these four players.
Written by Robin Rounder. Follow Robin on Twitter today.
