Three players Punjab might release ahead of Indian T20 League 2023
Odean Smith-Kagiso Rabada-Benny Howell (Image Source: BCCI/IPL)
Punjab has been one of the most inconsistent teams in the recently concluded Indian T20 League 2022. They failed to string together more than a win on the bounce. As a result, Mayank Agarwal’s side was eliminated from the tournament after they were able to gather only 14 points from their 14 matches.
Punjab will be looking to bounce back in the next edition of the Indian T20 League in 2023. For that to happen they need to make a few changes to their current squad. As a result, Punjab might release a few players and replace them with better options.
1. Odean Smith: Odean Smith was roped in by Punjab with the hope that he will play the role of an all-rounder for the team. He is reputed to be a big-hitting lower middle-order batter and a handy medium pace bowler.
But barring the first match, Smith failed to live up to the expectations on both the accounts. In the six matches that he played for the team he just scored 51 runs of 6 matches and 25 of these runs came in only one knock. With the ball in hand also he was not up to the mark as he picked up just 6 wickets and conceded runs at the rate of 11.87 runs per over. Thus, Punjab might look to replace the West Indian with a better all-round option.
2. Sandeep Sharma: From the initial days of his career Sandeep Sharma was seen as a swing bowler who could pick up wickets at the very beginning of the innings. Punjab roped in Sharma with the hope that he will provide the potency in the bowling attack of the team in the initial stages of the match.
But Sharma failed to live up to the expectations of the team. He played in 7 matches in the tournament. In these matches, he was just able to pick up 2 wickets at an average of 76.50. This might lead Punjab to replace him with a more potent option.
3. Benny Howell: The English all-rounder, Benny Howell is reputed to be a big hitter in the lower middle-order and also a handy medium pace bowler. While Punjab roped in the player, they did not field him in a single match in the tournament in order to maintain a proper team combination.
The player did not hold himself back and expressed his disappointment at not being able to play a single match after the tournament was over for the team. This might give rise to a tension between the franchise and the player and they might release the player ahead of the next season of the Indian T20 League.
