Ranking PBKS' buys at IPL 2024 Auction

Punjab Kings (PBKS), who have never won the Indian Premier League (IPL), purchased eight players at the IPL 2024 auction in Dubai on December 19. They picked up two overseas and six Indian cricketers. Punjab Kings entered the auction with a purse of ₹29.1 crore and spent ₹24.95 crore to purchase eight players.

Indian right-arm pacer Harshal Patel was their biggest buy at ₹11.75 crore. Punjab Kings also bought South African big-hitter Rilee Rossouw for ₹8 crore and England’s bowling all-rounder Chris Woakes for ₹4.2 crore.

Punjab Kings further purchased five Indian players for their base price of ₹20 lakh. They bought Tanay Thyagarajann, Vishwanath Pratap Singh, Prince Choudhary, and Ashutosh Sharma.

PBKS also roped in Shashank Singh for ₹20 lakh, but there was some confusion over it. There were two players with the same name on the list and it was initially reported that PBKS bought the wrong cricketer. However, the franchise later clarified that the player purchased was the right one.

On that note, we rate the eight players purchased by Punjab Kings at the IPL 2024 auction.

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#1 Chris Woakes (8/10)

England all-rounder Chris Woakes (Pic: AP)

England all-rounder Woakes is a quality cricketer who has, for some reason, not been well utilized by franchises over the years. The 34-year-old has only played 21 IPL matches so far, claiming 30 wickets at an average of 21.93 in addition to scoring 78 runs.

Woakes is a highly experienced campaigner in the T20 format. In 151 matches, he has picked up 162 scalps at an average of 25.04. With the willow, he has scored 968 runs at a strike rate of 132.78 with two half-centuries.

The versatile cricketer is a wicket-taking bowler, who can win games with the ball. He is also a handy hitter down the order. At a price of ₹4.2 crore, he was Punjab Kings’ smartest buy at the IPL 2024 auction.

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#2 Rilee Rossouw (7.5/10)

South African batter Rilee Rossouw (Pic: Getty Images)

South Africa cricketer Rossouw can be among the most destructive hitters of the cricket ball on his day. Indian fans witnessed his explosive talent with the willow when he clubbed 100* off 48 balls in a T20I in Indore in October 2022.

Those who follow T20 cricket, though, would not have been surprised by his exploits. The 34-year-old left-hander batter has clobbered 7,933 runs in 312 T20 matches at an average of 30.74 and a strike rate of 144.84 with six hundreds and 48 fifties.

The left-handed batter is a much sought-after player in franchise leagues across the globe. In the IPL, he has scored 262 runs in 14 matches at an average of 21.83 and a strike rate of 136.46.

He was bought at ₹8 crore and one feels Punjab Kings might have spent a little more than perhaps what they wanted to. But if Rossouw can repay the faith, things would be sorted.

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#3 Harshal Patel (6.5/10)

Indian pacer Harshal Patel (Pic: Getty Images)

At ₹11.75 crore, Harshal was Punjab Kings’ most expensive purchase at the IPL 2024 auction. The 33-year-old right-arm pacer is a proven performer in the T20 league without a doubt. In 91 matches, he has claimed 111 scalps at an average of 24.07 and an economy rate of 8.59. He possesses a wonderful slower ball that has undone several big names in the IPL.

One, however, wonders if Punjab overspent on a player who is perhaps past his prime. Harshal did not have a great IPL 2023 season for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). In 13 games, he picked up 14 wickets at an average of 32.43 and an economy rate of 9.66.

The pacer also struggled in the last few T20I matches he played for India, regularly conceding over 9-10 runs an over. PBKS have picked Harshal on reputation. It remains to be seen whether their faith in the pacer pays off.

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#4 Shashank Singh (6/10)

All-rounder Shashank Singh is a reasonable buy at ₹20 lakh. The 32-year-old has 724 runs in 44 T20 innings at a strike rate of 135.83 with five half-centuries.

On the bowling front, he has chipped in with 15 wickets at an average of 28.93 and an economy rate of 8.18. He can be a handy option for PBKS.

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#5 Tanay Thyagarajann, Vishwanath Pratap Singh, Ashutosh Sharma, and Prince Choudhary (5/10)

Punjab Kings went for quite a few Indian domestic cricketers at their base price. Thyagarajan is a left-arm spinner from Hyderabad, Vishwanath is an off-spinner, Ashutosh is a batter from MP, and Prince is a 24-year-old leg-spinner.