5 Players PBKS will eye in IPL 2025 mega auction

The cricketing world is looking forward to the IPL 2025 mega auction which is scheduled to take place on November 24 and 25, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. As far as PBKS (Punjab Kings) are concerned, the focus will be on which five players the franchise will eye for the upcoming season. The franchise have set aside a whopping INR 110.5 Crore purse after keeping just two players in the squad from the previous season. Ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, the franchise has retained two players- Shashank Singh (INR 5.5 Crore) and Prabhsimran Singh (INR 4 Crore) – both uncapped. They will have the opportunity to use four Right-To-Match (RTM) cards, which they might use to bring back key players if other clubs purchase them. In this article, SportsTiger lists five key players PBKS will have an eye on in the IPL 2025 mega auction. Steve Smith Since Ricky Ponting has joined as the head coach of the Punjab team, he would certainly try to bring in Steve Smith, who he knowns all too well about from their time in Australian cricket. The right-handed batter was last seen in IPL 2021 under Ricky Ponting at Delhi Capitals. After his good performances in T20 circuit recently, there is a high chance of Smith coming back to the IPL in the next season. Moreover, Smith carries captaincy experience which the Punjab will be looking to bring in. Steve Smith and Ricky Ponting recently collaborated on the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2024. Their collaboration at MLC Washington Freedom ended on a high note with a title win. The Australian pair will try to duplicate their MLC triumph with the Washington Freedom in the IPL if PBKS is successful in singing Smith. #PAGE_BREAK# Mitchell Starc Mitchell Starc, the Australian left-arm fast bowler, is highly likely on the list of PBKS as a key player to buy. Starc, who played 41 IPL matches in his career, has 51 wickets. Since Punjab has struggled in the bowling department over the years, bringing Starc could provide them a major boost. Furthermore, Punjab Kings have a substantial amount remaining in the purse to outbid rivals for big players. Starc's background may also be crucial in coaching up-and-coming bowlers, creating a more resilient bowling unit in the long run. The interesting thing is that Starc was the most expensive player in the IPL history when KKR bought him for INR 24.50 crore in the 2024 season. It would be interesting to see how Punjab would be approach the auction in regards to bringing him in. #PAGE_BREAK# Shreyas Iyer Shreyas Iyer, who got released by Kolkata Knight Riders, could be an exciting addition in the Punjab Kings squad. Iyer captained KKR in the last season, where he led them to win the IPL 2024 title. Moreover, he holds an impressive record of scoring 3217 runs with strong performances in his IPL career. For Punjab, Iyer can be a reliable batter and a capable skipper, who can lead a team which will be newly built. Under him, Punjab could become a strong competitor since he has led multiple franchises to IPL final in his career thus far. Since PBKS have a massive purse available at their disposal, the franchise can consider buying Shreyas Iyer for more than INR 15 Crore in the IPL 2025 mega auction. #PAGE_BREAK# Rishabh Pant Punjab Kings will probably make every possible effort to include wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant in their squad. With PBKS retaining only two players, Prabhsimran Singh and Shashank Singh, they have INR 110.5 Crore purse going into the mega auction, to go big on the Pant. Additionally, their head coach, Ricky Ponting, collaborated with Pant at the Delhi Capitals starting in 2021. The Pant-Ponting duo served as the Delhi team's captain and coach until the 2023 season. Hence, there is a high chance that Preity Zinta and Co will be looking forward to bidding high sum of money to sign Rishabh Pant. Jos Buttler With a need of strong opening batter to build a best possible batting lineup, there is a high chance that Punjab King could bid for Jos Buttler, England's white-ball captain. He has been incredible with the bat for Rajasthan Royals, scoring centuries and helping the team to win matches over his six year span before being released by them. Buttler could be a great purchase for a team that hasn't been able to perform consistently with the bat for years. His experience could propel PBKS to greater heights in the IPL for a forseeable future if they are able to buy him from the mega auction.

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5 Players PBKS will eye in IPL 2025 mega auction