Punjab King, Mediocre Unsuccessful Team in IPL Season 16

Punjab Kings formerly known as Kings XI Punjab has been a part of IPL Cricket since its inception. Punjab is among the unsuccessful team in IPL who are yet to win an IPL title. They have been amazing throughout the history of IPL and came so close to winning the trophy in the 2014 IPL season where Kolkata won by a close margin.

This blog will discuss the roller coaster ride journey of the Punjab team in the IPL Cricket, its historical background, team recognition, home ground & Fan support, performances in the previous seasons, top performers, and rivalries in the league.

A Quick History of Punjab Kings

In 2007, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) introduced the Indian Premier League (IPL), a T20 cricket tournament. During the auction in Mumbai on February 20, 2008, franchises for eight cities were assigned. The Punjab IPL team was bought by a group that included Mohit Burman from the Dabur group (46%), Ness Wadia from the Wadia group (23%), actress Preity Zinta (23%), and Saptarshi Dey from the Dey & Dey Group (with a minor stake).

Together, they paid $76 million for the franchise. They named the team the Kings XI Punjab, and the team's catchment areas covered Kashmir, Jammu, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Haryana, which is reflected in the letter sequence "K J H P H" within the IPL team's logo.

Punjab Kings has been a part of major Controversies

In 2010, during a controversy involving the BCCI and Lalit Modi, the Indian Premier League (IPL) canceled the franchise contracts of Kings XI Punjab and the Rajasthan Royals on October 10, 2010. Both IPL teams, including Kings XI Punjab, said they planned to take legal action to stay in the IPL. Kings XI Punjab filed a case in the Mumbai High Court and they were claiming that they were removed from the IPL to favor more profitable bidders in the 2012 season. Eventually, the High Court's intervention led to the reinstatement of Kings XI Punjab.

On February 17, 2021, Kings XI Punjab changed its name to Punjab Kings ahead of the 2021 Indian Premier League season. Ness Wadia, one of the co-owners, mentioned the need to "relook at things" and rebrand after 13 seasons. The decision, which was planned two years earlier, aimed for a fresh start. The announcement was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the team expressed disappointment over not winning a title.

Home Ground and Fan Base of PBKS

Punjab Kings play at PCA Stadium Mohali for their home matches and it is one of the most popular stadiums in India. The team has always received a warm gesture and hospitality from the people of Punjab whenever they play at this venue. Although it is an unsuccessful team in IPL that hasn't won any single IPL trophy over the course of 16 years but still the loyal fan base is still always behind their team and supports them through thick and thin.

Captains & Legendary Players who played for PBKS

Player	Matches	From	To	Won	Lost	Win%
Yuvraj Singh	29	2008	2009	17	12	58.62
Kumar Sangakkara	13	2010	2010	3	9	23.33
Adam Gilchrist	34	2011	2013	17	17	50
George Bailey	35	2014	2015	18	17	51.42
David Miller	6	2016	2016	1	5	16.66
Murali Vijay	8	2016	2016	3	5	37.5
Glenn Maxwell	14	2017	2020	7	7	50
Ravichandran Ashwin	28	2018	2019	12	16	42.85
KL Rahul	27	2020	2021	11	14	40.74
Mayank Agarwal	14	2021	2022	7	7	50
Shikhar Dhawan	12	2022	Present	4	8	33.33

Notable Players:

Indian Players:

Yuvraj Singh

Irfan Pathan

Ravi Ashwin

Varinder Sehwag

KL Rahul

Parveen Kumar

Piyush Chawla

Sandeep Sharma

Irfan Pathan

Mohit Sharma

Overseas Players:

Adam Gilchrist

Geroge Bailey

Shaun Marsh

David Miller

Glenn Maxwell

Mitchell Johnson

Hashim Amla

Mahela Jayawardene

David Miller

Ryan Harris

Season-wise Performance of Punjab Kings IPL Team

Indian Premier League

IPL Season	Final Standings	Win	Loss	Total	Summary
2008	3rd	10	4	15	Semi-finalists
2009	5th	7	7	14	Group-Stage
2010	8th	4	10	14	Group-Stage
2011	5th	7	7	14	Group-Stage
2012	6th	8	8	16	Group-Stage
2013	6th	8	8	16	Group-Stage
2014	2nd	12	5	17	Runners-Up
2015	8th	3	11	14	Group-Stage
2016	8th	4	10	14	Group-Stage
2017	5th	7	7	14	Group-Stage
2018	7th	6	8	14	Group-Stage
2019	6th	6	8	14	Group-Stage
2020	6th	6	8	14	Group-Stage
2021	6th	6	8	14	Group-Stage
2022	6th	7	7	14	Group-Stage
2023	8th	6	8	14	Group-Stage
Total		104	124	232	Runners-Up

Top Performers for Punjab In IPL Cricket

Most Runs For PBKS- unsuccessful team in IPL

Period	Player	Matches	Runs	Innings
2018–2021	KL Rahul	55	2,548	55
2008–2017	Shaun Marsh	71	2,477	69
2012–2019	David Miller	79	1,856	77
2018–2022	Mayank Agarwal	60	1,513	59
2018–2021	Chris Gayle	41	1,339	41

Most Wickets For PBKS

Period	Player	Matches	Wickets	Average
2008–2013	Piyush Chawla	87	84	Innings
2013–2022	Sandeep Sharma	61	73	87
2014–2018	Axar Patel	68	61	61
2019–2021	Mohammed Shami	42	58	67
2019–2023	Arshdeep Singh	51	57	42

Punjab Kings' Rivalries:

Despite not winning a single trophy in their entire run in IPL history, the Punjab team has always delivered its fans cheerful rivalry and matches.

Rivalry with Delhi Capitals:

The Delhi Capitals and Kings XI Punjab share an intense rivalry in the IPL. Both teams represent different cities in the Punjab state of India and are the unsuccessful team in IPL. Even though they haven't clinched an IPL trophy in their history, their encounters on the field are always high voltage and a pure treat for cricket lovers.

Whenever Delhi Capitals and Kings XI Punjab meet, it's like a live cricket cinema, with thrilling moments and competitive gameplay. Despite not having a trophy, both teams consistently aim to win the IPL championship, providing the people of Punjab with something to celebrate.

Rivalry with Rajasthan Royals:

Punjab an unsuccessful team in IPL also has a long-running rivalry with Rajasthan Royals in the IPL Cricket and their matches are often regarded as the Northern Derby. Both teams came head to head 25 times and Rajasthan had the upper hand in this derby as they won 14 out of those 25 encounters and the remaining matches were won by the Kings of Punjab. That is why this close competition makes their rivalry more exciting.

The rivalry reached to next level when Ravichandran Ashwin, who was playing for Punjab at that time, mankad Jos Buttler at the non-striker's end. The whole cricket fraternity was really disappointed with Ashwin’s act and this caused further tension among both team’s fans and made this rivalry even more tense.