PBKS 2023 Playing 11 – Strongest Punjab Kings Playing XI

PBKS 2023 will look to make amends in a brand new season of Indian Premier League. For IPL 2023, Punjab Kings have left out their skipper Mayank Agarwal and Shikhar Dhawan is named his replacement to captain the side. They have retained 16 players this season and have a purse of 32.2 Cr. Hence, they have a good chance to get a few quality players for a steal to make strongest Punjab Kings Playing XI ahead of the season.

PBKS 2023 Playing 11

1. Shikhar Dhawan (captain)

2. Jonny Bairstow

3. Prabhsimran Singh

4. Shahrukh Khan

5. Bhanuka Rajapaksa

6. Liam Livingstone

7. Jitesh Sharma

8. Rahul Chahar

9. Rishi Dhawan

10. Kagiso Rabada

11. Arshdeep Singh 

Opening 

Shikhar Dhawan will be the regular opener for the side. He is most likely to open with Jonny Bairstow. Bairstow had a successful run as an opener for his national side and is likely to continue the same role for this franchise.

Middle Order

Things get a little messy here. They currently do not have any strong No.3 batter to hold on to in tough times. Prabhsimran Singh is also an opener but can be pushed down the order. They will have Shahrukh Khan at No.4. Shahrukh started off as a hitter but in the domestic circuit, he has played many inning-building knocks. Hence, promoting him up the order will be a good tactical strategy.

Next up will be Sri Lankan batter, Bhanuka Rajapaksa. He is a strong middle-order batter with massive power-hitting abilities. Also, he has a lot of experience playing in sub-continental conditions. As a result, he will be a valuable addition to the squad.

All-rounders

Liam Livingstone is the only proper all-rounder in the squad. Liam can bowl 4 complete overs and not just act as a part-timer. Other than him, Jitesh Sharma will be another all-rounder. He is more of a part-time bowler and can squeeze in a couple of overs in the middle.

Spinners

PBKS has a quality spinner in the form of Rahul Chahar. He will be leading the spin attack. His only partner will be Livingstone.

Pacers

India’s rising star, Arshdeep Singh, will be part of PBKS in IPL 2023 as he has been retained by the franchise. Arshdeep grew up with Punjab Kings. He bowled numerous match-winning spells for the team and received major recognition. Hence, he along with South African speedster Kagiso Rabada will be pacers in the squad. They also have Himachal Pradesh skipper, Rishi Dhawan in the mix. Rishi was very effective on the power play last season and hence got a lot of game time. He can also come in the tail and play a few shots. Hence, he is very likely to get a place in the playing XI.