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Punjab Kings In IPL 2023: Preview, Strongest XI, Schedule - All You Need To Know

After finishing at the sixth place in the points table last season, Punjab Kings are all set to begin their campaign for the upcoming edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 against Kolkata Knight Riders on Saturday. Led by the veteran opening batter Shikhar Dhawan, the Kings will be guided by World Cup winning coach Trevor Bayliss, as they eye their maiden IPL title. During the auctions, PBKS bought England all-rounder Sam Curran for a whopping total of Rs 18.50 crore and made him the costliest buy in IPL history.

The other players they bought were Sikandar Raza (Rs 50 lakh), Harpreet Bhatia (Rs 40 lakh), Vidwath Kaverappa (Rs 20 lakh), Mohit Rathee (Rs 20 lakh) and Shivam Singh (Rs 20 lakh).

Inconsistency has hurt Punjab badly over the years and Bayliss will have to find a way to optimise the performance of a squad that looks formidable on paper. Punjab finished sixth in the past four seasons and reached their only final in 2014.

However, Punjab have suffered a blow even before the start of the season as their aggressive wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow has been ruled out due to a lower limb injury. Uncapped Australia batter Matthew Short, who had an exceptional outing in the last edition of Big Bash League, has been named as his replacement.

Punjab have plenty of firepower in the batting unit despite the absence of Bairstow. The presence of Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jitesh Sharma, Curran, Short, who impressed in the latest Big Bash edition, make them a force to be reckoned with.

Curran, player of the 2022 T20 World Cup, is expected to play every game and contribute in both the departments.

However, the team needs to finalise Dhawan's opening partner in Bairstow's absence. Sacked skipper Mayank

Read more on sports.ndtv.com