‘They will have to make this tough decision’ – Irfan Pathan wants PBKS to give star player more chances in IPL 2024
Sikandar Raza (Source: Twitter)
Former cricketer Irfan Pathan recently discussed that Punjab Kings need to give Sikandar Raza more games to prove his ability in the tournament as they might have to choose between him and the English all-rounder Liam Livingstone.
Punjab Kings have not made many changes to their squad during the retention window and have kept a hold on their six key overseas players, making them a weak contender in the IPL 2024 auction to bid for foreign players, which is very unlikely for the franchise.
Irfan Pathan and Sanjay Manjrekar on Punjab Kings’ squad for IPL 2024
“They have Sikandar Raza in the backups. I want to see him playing regularly. They will have to make this tough decision. It will be between either Liam Livingstone or Sikandar Raza because both have pretty similar skills.”
“Depending on the conditions and pitches, you might see Sam Curran going out and both of these guys, Sikandar Raza and Livingstone, playing. Then you might see one more Indian fast bowler playing there”, said Pathan.
Indian commentator Sanjay Manjrekar also discussed what can be done for the Punjab Kings in the IPL 2024 Auction and said, “If you look at their players – Shikhar Dhawan, Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma, Sam Curran and Nathan Ellis, who I like in Indian conditions. They have got Harpreet Brar to bowl some left-arm spin. They have got Rahul Chahar, Kagiso Rabada and Arshdeep Singh – they are set.
“I will add one spinner if I can find a good quality spinner. Ideally, a left-arm spinner because if you look at those spinners, Rahul Chahar can be hot and cold and Harpreet Brar is slightly inexperienced”, he added.
Punjab Kings Retained and Released Players
PBKS Retained Players: Shikhar Dhawan, Jitesh Sharma, Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh, Liam Livingstone, Matthew Short, Harpreet Bhatia, Atharva Taide, Rishi Dhawan, Sam Curran, Sikandar Raza, Shivam Singh, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Kagiso Rabada, Nathan Ellis, Rahul Chahar, Gurnoor Brar, Vidwath Kaverappa
PBKS Released Players: Shahrukh Khan, Raj Bawa, Baltej Dhanda, Mohit Rathee, Bhanuka Rajapaksa
Punjab Kings will enter the IPL 2024 auction with a purse value of ₹12.20 crore.
