Punjab Kings, as they lost their last game in IPL 2023 against Rajasthan Royals yesterday, got eliminated from the tournament and failed to qualify for the IPL playoffs once again.
This is not something that the Punjab Kings fans are not used to. Punjab is the only team in the history of the IPL which has featured in all the IPL seasons and has made it to the playoffs only twice in 16 years.
It’s not that Punjab Kings haven’t tried different things to improve their standard of performance. They have changed their captain and coach on a regular basis. This season as well, Punjab played under a new captain in Shikhar Dhawan, but they somehow couldn’t quite raise the level of their performance once again.
Here are the 3 players whom Punjab Kings might release before the next IPL season –
Shikhar Dhawan
Punjab might have to replace their captain next season again, not just because the team didn’t qualify to the playoffs, but also because Dhawan is now at the fag end of his career.
Dhawan had a good start to the tournament, but as the season progressed, his personal form dipped a little bit with the bat and he made a few tactical errors as captain as well. Dhawan might be one of those big names whom Punjab might consider releasing before the next mini auction arrives.
Matthew Short
Matthew Short was roped in late by Punjab as Jonny Bairstow was ruled out of IPL 2023 at the very last moment and the way Short had performed in the BBL, he got a look in as a top order overseas batsman.
Matt Short played a couple of impressive knocks, but overall he has probably not done enough to retain his place in the Punjab squad next season. As Jonny Bairstow returns, Punjab might release Matt Short.
Rishi Dhawan
Rishi Dhawan was signed by Punjab on the account of his impressive performances in India’s domestic cricket, but he couldn’t replicate his domestic form in a high pressure tournament like IPL and couldn’t make his mark in a few games that he played.
Rishi Dhawan might feel a bit hard done by as well, because he didn’t get a lot of opportunities to play for Punjab, but since he couldn’t justify his selection on a few occasions he took the field, this might now be the end of his journey at Punjab Kings.
