Punjab Kings (PBKS) are making headlines as they prepare to reveal their captain for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season during a special episode of Bigg Boss 18 on January 12. The promo of the weekend episode featured lead players Shreyas Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal and Shashank Singh, which has increased the curiosity among the fans.
Shreyas Iyer: Front runner in the race for captaincy
Shreyas Iyer, bought for Rs 26.75 crore, is the biggest contender for the captaincy role. His experience in leading Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their third IPL title makes him an ideal candidate. Iyer's leadership under head coach Ricky Ponting will be focused on taking PBKS to the playoffs for the first time in a decade, as the team looks to win its first title. PBKS last reached the IPL final in 2014, but lost against Gautam Gambhir's KKR.
Ponting expressed his excitement to work with Iyer, saying, “I wanted to work with Shreyas. I've worked with him before, and he's a great guy and a great player. He will be a great leader for our team if we decide to go that route, which I'm confident we probably will. And obviously, he was the captain who won the championship last year.”
Player retention and new players
Apart from Iyer, PBKS used the Right to Match (RTM) card to retain Yuzvendra Chahal for ₹18 crore and acquired Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis for ₹11 crore. The franchise has also signed several strategic overseas players including Marco Jensen, Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Lockie Ferguson, Aaron Hardy and Xavier Bartlett.
Bigg Boss 18 revealed: A confluence of cricket and entertainment
In an unprecedented move, PBKS will unveil its captain during a live segment hosted by Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, offering a unique blend of cricket and entertainment. The event will air at 9:30 pm on Colors and JioCinema, which has started the discussion about who will captain the franchise in IPL 2025.
Punjab Kings full team for IPL 2025
The Punjab Kings squad for IPL 2025 has a mix of experienced players and emerging talent:
Shreyas Iyer (₹26.75 crore)
Yuzvendra Chahal (₹18 crore)
Marcus Stoinis (₹11 crore)
Glenn Maxwell (₹4.20 crore)
Marco Jensen (₹7 crore)
Lockie Ferguson (₹2 crore)
Josh Inglis (₹2.60 crore)
Azmatullah Umarzai (₹2.40 crore)
Shashank Singh, Prabhsimran Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Harpreet Brar, Vishnu Vinod, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yash Thakur, Harnoor Pannu, Kuldeep Sen, Priyansh Arya, Aaron Hardy, Musheer Khan, Suryansh Shedge, Xavier Bartlett, Payla Avinash, Praveen Dubey. .
As the IPL 2025 season approaches, fans are eager to see how Punjab Kings will perform under the new leadership and whether they will finally be able to clinch their first championship title.
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