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With the 18th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) set to get underway from Saturday, March 22 in Kolkata, Punjab Kings, who will be seen looking to get their hands on maiden IPL title under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer, have been handed a massive setback. With players still flocking in large numbers before the start of the tournament, Afghanistan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai’s arrival is further delayed.
Sources close to the development informed, as reported by India Today, that the Afghan all-rounder will join the side four days prior to Punjab Kings’ maiden match in this year’s edition. This comes after majority of overseas players joined the side on Monday, March 17.
Azmatullah Omarzai’s arrival delayed due to personal reasons
As per the reports, Omarzai is expected to join the Punjab Kings on March 21. The Shreyas Iyer-led side is currently in Dharamsala, training at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium. However, it is still not clear who will feature in the XI for the Kings, but Omarzai has been in sensational form over the last one and a half years.
Speaking of the Punjab-based franchise, while Iyer will take the helm after he was released by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) despite leading them to title triumph, Ricky Ponting has joined as their head coach after ending his seven-year stint with Delhi Capitals. The PBKS will take on Gujarat Titans in their inaugural match on Tuesday, March 24 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Punjab Kings' IPL 2025 squad
Shashank Singh, Prabhsimran Singh, Shreyas Iyer (C), Nehal Wadhera, Vishnu Vinod, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Yuzvendra Chahal, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yash Thakur, Marco Jansen, Priyansh Arya, Josh Inglis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Lockie Ferguson, Aaron Hardie, Xavier Bartlett, Kuldeep Sen, Suryansh Shedge, Musheer Khan, Harnoor Pannu, Pyla Avinash, Pravin Dubey.
