IPL 2025 Best Retained Players for Punjab Kings (PBKS)

Sam Curran and Arshdeep Singh among high priority as we look at the strongest retained players list for Punjab Kings for IPL 2025. 

In the Indian Premier League, there are two Kings. Contrastingly, one is the most successful franchise in IPL history, Chennai Super Kings. Whereas, the other is the most unsuccessful franchise in IPL history, the Punjab Kings. Needless to say, it’s been 17 years, but Punjab Kings are yet to win an IPL Trophy. What’s more, they have played an IPL final only once, and that was a decade back in 2014.

Nevertheless, the team is moving into a new season, and things don’t look too optimistic either for the Punjab Kings. Of the 10 Teams that are present in the tournament, there is a big possibility that Punjab Kings could into the Mega Auction having absolute 0 retentions. While there are a few quality players, none of them are good enough to be retained at the highest price bracket.

The Mega Auction is designed in such a way that meagre retaining the players, and giving their own price doesn’t work. If we recall, in the last Mega Auction, the highest-ranked player got 15 Cr in general. But Punjab Kings have absolutely no player who deserves that amount. That is why Punjab Kings will be one team that will demand the least possible retentions to initiate equal play. 

IPL 2025 Punjab Kings (PBKS) Retained Players List – All Combinations Explored

If there’s a scenario where Punjab Kings is given the freedom to choose the players they would want to retain, without worrying about the amount they pay to them, Punjab Kings will then obtain quite a few players. Of course, this is an unrealistic scenario, and BCCI at no cost will allow this to happen. But let’s assume, they do, which are those 4-6 players that Punjab Kings may have on the highest priority list for their retained players list for IPL 2025.

If we talk about Punjab Kings’ best player overall, it has to be Sam Curran. The Captain of the side, Sam Curran may not be the most important player in the IPL as he was also not a part of England’s first-choice playing 11, but he sure does add value in all three departments. He may not be in the deserving category that gets 15 Cr or more, but for the quality he has, anything around 8-10 Cr, will be good enough to retain him.

Scenario One – 4 Players Retained

After Sam Curran, if there is one player that Punjab Kings can look to retain, it is Arshdeep Singh. Arshdeep Singh is already one of the best pacers in the country, and is already representing India in two formats. Again, Arshdeep isn’t someone whom Punjab Kings will spend in excess of 10 Cr, and anything around 8 Cr is good enough to retain him.

After Sam Curran and Arshdeep Singh, the Punjab Kings actually have an uncapped whom they still retain without a second thought, and that’s Shashank Singh. After a shocking confusion at the Auction table, Punjab Kings bought their non-targeted Shashank Singh. But how well did Shashank play such that he can actually be the only player that Punjab retain? The fact that Shashank is an uncapped player, Punjab Kings won’t have to spend much too.

Finally, for the fourth player, Punjab Kings will mostly go for Jonny Bairstow. Now, Bairstow for sure has been inconsistent off late, but he is a proven player in the IPL. If not as the first player, Bairstow is good enough to be retained as the fourth player. That way, Punjab Kings will also not have to spend much on Bairstow, and a price of around 6 Cr will be good for him.

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ALSO READ: IPL 2025 Mumbai Indians (MI) Best Retained Players List

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Scenario Two – 5 Players Retained

If Punjab Kings add a fifth player, the team will mostly try to get Harshal Patel. Now, Patel came in as a breath of fresh air for the struggling Punjab Kings. Given that Harshal still has his variations intact, it won’t be a bad option to retain Harshal Patel as the fifth player on the list. However, there can also be a scenario where Harshal is retained above Bairstow. But just because the team also already has Sam and Arshdeep as bowlers, retaining Harshal as the fifth player makes more sense.

Scenario Three – 6 Players Retained

Finally, for the sixth player, Punjab Kings will mostly try to get Kagiso Rabada. Now, Rabada isn’t the same bowler that he used to be in 2019-20. But if given an option to retain as the sixth player, Kagiso Rabada isn’t a bad option. Given that he will be a sixth player, Punjab Kings won’t have to spend much on Rabada, and that’s why he will have value for money.

IPL 2025 Punjab Kings Best Retained Players List:

1. Sam Curran (o)
2. Arshdeep Singh
3. Shashank Singh
4. Jonny Bairstow (o)
5. Harshal Patel
6. Kagiso Rabada (o)

So, that’s about the best retained players list for Punjab Kings for IPL 2025. As we can see, Punjab Kings may not have an issue if they were allowed to retain players without any financial restraints. But the moment BCCI brings their rule of retaining limited players at a higher price, things can go haywire, and Punjab Kings may actually refrain from retaining anyone but uncapped players.

Thanks for reading! What’s your take on the retained players list scenarios for Punjab Kings (PBKS) for IPL 2025? Please email your thoughts to business@cricalytics.com

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