Where they finished last year
With five wins in 14 games, Punjab Kings (PBKS) finished second last in the league.
What's new in 2025
PBKS have a new captain in Shreyas Iyer, who won the IPL title with Kolkata Knight Riders last year, and a new head coach in Ricky Ponting, who worked with Delhi Capitals until last season. From the previous edition, they retained only Prabhsimran Singh and Shashank Singh and bought back fast bowler Arshdeep Singh via the right-to-match card for INR 18 crore at the mega auction.
Another familiar face in the side is Glenn Maxwell, who had previously played for them between 2014 and 2017 and again in 2020. Apart from Maxwell, they signed four more Australians at the auction: Marcus Stoinis, Josh Inglis, Aaron Hardie and Xavier Bartlett.
An allrounder-heavy side, they also have overseas options in Azmatullah Omarzai and Marco Jansen alongside Maxwell, Stoinis and Hardie in that department. New Zealand fast bowler Lockie Ferguson is one of their new recruits and they also have experienced India spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, as well as Kuldeep Sen and Yash Thakur, who have decent IPL experience.
PBKS have perennially underperformed, with their last top-four finish coming in 2014. But with a new-look squad, which has several big names and looks well-rounded in all departments, they will hope to change things.
Likely best XII
1 Prabhsimran Singh/Priyansh Arya, 2 Josh Inglis*, 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Glenn Maxwell*, 5 Azmatullah Omarzai/Marcus Stoinis*, 6 Shashank Singh, 7 Nehal Wadhera/Suryansh Shedge, 8 Marco Jansen*, 9 Harpreet Brar, 10 Yash Thakur, 11 Arshdeep Singh, 12 Yuzvendra Chahal
* denotes overseas player
Big question
Watch out for
Priyansh Arya first grabbed eyeballs when he hit six sixes in an over to smash 120 off 50 balls in the Delhi Premier League. That feat led to a bidding war at the auction where PBKS eventually landed him for INR 3.8 crore. The opening batter, who is particularly strong down the ground, showed off his big hits in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy late last year, where he also struck 102 off just 43 balls, hitting 10 sixes and five fours, against Uttar Pradesh. He also topped the run-scoring charts for Delhi.
Another talent who's made a name in the domestic circuit, Suryansh Shedge displayed his finishing skills in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Arriving to bat mostly in tricky situations, the 22-year old allrounder helped Mumbai wrap up games, and he did the job for them in the final as well, clattering three sixes and three fours in his 15-ball stay to help them to the title. He could be an Impact Player option and bolster their lower order, a role Ashutosh Sharma performed for PBKS last season.
Key stats
PBKS have won just two out of 14 home games - played across Mohali, Mullanpur and Dharamsala - in the last two seasons - the worst for any side in the IPL in this period. This year, they will be playing only in Mullanpur and Dharamsala. Finding a way to make their home conditions work for them could be crucial to their bid to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
Iyer has been part of five title wins since March 2024: The IPL win with KKR aside, he won the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy, the 2024-25 Irani Cup and the 2024-25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy titles with Mumbai. He was also a key member of India's title-winning Champions Trophy team, and comes into the IPL on the back of a superb run of form.
Though he finished with 19 wickets, Arshdeep Singh wasn't at his best in the IPL last year as he struggled with his accuracy. He eventually turned his year around and finished as 2024's top T20I wicket-taker with 36 wickets at an average of 15.31. He also recently leapfrogged Chahal to become India's highest wicket-taker in the format.
Who's out or in doubt?
Lockie Ferguson missed the Champions Trophy for New Zealand after picking up a hamstring injury while playing in the ILT20. His availability for the upcoming IPL season is unclear.
IPL 2025 will also be Musheer Khan's first tournament since he sustained a neck injury after a car crash in September 2024. Musheer, who was picked for INR 30 lakh at the auction, had recently started training with the squad.