Punjab Kings facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Punjab Kings

League	Indian Premier League
Personnel
Captain	Shreyas Iyer
Coach	Ricky Ponting
Owner	Mohit Burman (48%) Ness Wadia (23%) Preity Zinta (23%) Karan Paul (6%)
Team information
City	New Chandigarh, Punjab, India
Founded	2008 (17 years ago) (2008)
Home ground	Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh
Capacity	38,000
Secondary home ground(s)	Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala
Secondary ground capacity	21,500
T20 kit
Image:Cricket current event.svg 2025 Punjab Kings season

The Punjab Kings, also known as PBKS, is a professional Twenty20 cricket team. They are based in New Chandigarh, Punjab, and play in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The team was once called Kings XI Punjab.

The franchise is owned by Mohit Burman, Ness Wadia, Preity Zinta, and Karan Paul. The team plays its home games at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium. They have also played some matches at Dharamshala and Indore.

In the 2014 Indian Premier League season, Punjab Kings finished as runners-up. They also reached the finals in the 2025 Indian Premier League but lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The team also played in the Champions League Twenty20 once in 2014. They reached the semi-finals that year. The team's name changed to Punjab Kings in February 2021. In the 2025 IPL auction, they made a huge bid for Shreyas Iyer. They paid ₹26.75 crore (US$4.5 million) for him, which was the second-highest bid ever for a player in the IPL.

Team History

How the Team Started

In 2007, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) created the Indian Premier League. This cricket tournament uses the Twenty20 format. On February 20, 2008, an auction was held in Mumbai for eight city teams.

The team for Punjab was bought by a group of owners. These included Mohit Burman (46%), Ness Wadia (23%), Preity Zinta (23%), and Saptarshi Dey (a small share). They paid $76 million to own the team. The team was first known as Kings XI Punjab. Its logo showed the areas it represented: Kashmir, Jammu, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Haryana.

Team Name Change

On February 17, 2021, Kings XI Punjab changed its name to Punjab Kings. This happened before the 2021 Indian Premier League season. Ness Wadia explained that they wanted to "relook at things" and rebrand the team. He was sad that the team had not won a title in 13 seasons. He hoped the new name would help them "start afresh." The name change had been planned for two years but was delayed by COVID-19.

Team Captains Over the Years

Last updated: July 23, 2025

Team Performance Over the Years

Early IPL Seasons (2008-2010)

The 2008 season started slowly for Kings XI Punjab. They lost their first two games. But a great score of 94 runs by Kumar Sangakkara helped them win their third game. Even without some key players, the team started playing well. They won nine of their next 10 matches. This helped them reach the semi-finals. However, they lost to the Chennai Super Kings in the semi-final.

Shaun Marsh was a star player for Kings XI Punjab in 2008. He was signed by the team on April 9. He ended the tournament with the "Orange Cap." This award goes to the player who scores the most runs. Marsh scored 68.44 runs on average and hit one century and five half-centuries.

After reaching the semi-finals in 2008, Kings XI Punjab hoped to win the trophy in 2009. They signed Jerome Taylor and Yusuf Abdulla. However, many of their Australian players were not available. The team also lacked fast bowlers because Jerome Taylor got injured.

The team lost badly to the Delhi Daredevils and Kolkata Knight Riders. But they bounced back by beating the Royal Challengers, Rajasthan Royals, and Mumbai Indians. Their journey was a bit up and down after that. They lost to the Chennai Super Kings in their last match, which ended their hopes for the semi-finals.

Kings XI Punjab lost many matches in 2010. They lost to Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Daredevils, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Deccan Chargers, Rajasthan Royals, and Mumbai Indians. They did win one exciting match against Chennai Super Kings. The scores were tied, and they won in a "Super Over." Shaun Marsh returned and played well, but the team still struggled. They finished last in the 2010 IPL season.

Kings XI Punjab on the Rise (2011-2014)

The 2011 IPL season looked promising for the team. They had a strong squad with Michael Bevan as coach and Adam Gilchrist as captain. Kings XI Punjab finished fifth in the points table. They missed out on the playoffs by just two points.

Kings XI Punjab finished in sixth place overall in 2012. They won eight out of sixteen matches.

Kings XI Punjab did not make it to the playoffs in 2013. However, batsman David Miller played an amazing innings. He scored 101 runs off just 38 balls against Royal Challengers Bangalore. He hit eight fours and seven sixes. Miller helped Punjab win by six wickets with two overs left. Adam Gilchrist retired after this season.

George Bailey was the captain for the 2014 season. The team also bought players like Virender Sehwag, Glenn Maxwell, and Mitchell Johnson. Kings XI Punjab started by winning their first five games. These games were held in the UAE because of elections in India.

Glenn Maxwell was a standout player. He scored 95, 89, and 95 runs in his first three games. David Miller also played a big role. Their strong batting helped the team qualify for the playoffs. Virender Sehwag scored 122 runs against Chennai Super Kings in the semi-final. This helped KXIP reach the final. In the final, they faced Kolkata Knight Riders. Kings XI Punjab scored 199 runs, thanks to Wriddhiman Saha's 115 runs. But Kolkata Knight Riders won by three wickets in the final over. Manish Pandey scored 94 runs for KKR.

2014 Champions League Twenty20

Kings XI Punjab qualified for the 2014 Champions League Twenty20. They finished as runners-up in the 2014 IPL. They were in Group B with teams from Australia, West Indies, South Africa, and New Zealand.

Kings XI won their first match against Hobart Hurricanes. Thisara Perera was named Man Of The Match. They also won their second match against Barbados Tridents. They won their third match against the Northern Knights. This win helped them qualify for the semi-finals. They won their last group match against the Cape Cobras. However, they lost in the semi-finals to their IPL rivals, the Chennai Super Kings. Chennai Super Kings went on to win the tournament.

Tough Seasons (2015-2019)

George Bailey continued to lead the team in 2015. The team won only three out of 14 games. They finished eighth in the league. David Miller was the top scorer with 357 runs. Anureet Singh took the most wickets with 15.

David Miller and Murali Vijay captained the team in 2016. The team finished eighth again, with only four wins. Murali Vijay scored the most runs with 453. Sandeep Sharma took the most wickets with 15.

Virender Sehwag became the head coach. The team wanted to improve after two last-place finishes. Glenn Maxwell was made captain. Players like Eoin Morgan, Darren Sammy, and Hashim Amla joined the team. The team missed the playoffs by losing their last game to the Rising Pune Supergiant. They finished fifth, winning seven out of 14 games. Hashim Amla was the top scorer with 420 runs, including two centuries. Sandeep Sharma took 17 wickets.

The Kings XI Punjab squad for 2018 included Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuvraj Singh, KL Rahul, Aaron Finch, and Chris Gayle. Ashwin was captain, and Brad Hodge was coach. The team started well. KL Rahul scored a fast fifty against Daredevils. With Rahul and Gayle playing well, and Andrew Tye and Mujeeb Ur Rahman bowling strongly, the team won 5 of their first six games. They looked like favorites to win the title. However, their Indian players struggled later in the season. They won only one more game out of eight. This meant they did not qualify for the playoffs.

For the 2019 season, KXIP kept players like KL Rahul, Chris Gayle, Andrew Tye, and Ravichandran Ashwin. They also bought 13 new players. These included Varun Chakaravarthy, Sam Curran, and Mohammed Shami. Kings XI Punjab finished sixth in the league table. KL Rahul was the team's highest run scorer with 593 runs.

Big Changes (2020-2021)

Kings XI Punjab made some changes to their team for 2020. They released some players and bought new ones like Glenn Maxwell, Deepak Hooda, and Chris Jordan. They also traded their former captain Ravichandran Ashwin to Delhi Capitals.

On September 20, the Kings started their season. KL Rahul, the new captain, chose to field first. The match against Delhi ended in a tie. Delhi won in a "Super Over." Delhi scored 157 runs. Marcus Stoinis helped Delhi reach that score. Punjab also scored 157 runs, with Mayank Agarwal scoring 89 runs.

On September 24, Kings XI Punjab won their first match. They beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 97 runs. KL Rahul scored 132 runs off 69 balls. He hit 14 fours and 7 sixes. This helped Kings XI reach 206 runs. Royal Challengers were bowled out for 109 runs. Rahul became the fastest Indian batsman to score 2000 runs in IPL. However, Punjab then lost five matches in a row. They broke the losing streak by beating Bangalore again. They also beat Mumbai Indians in a Super Over. They won three more matches against Delhi, Hyderabad, and Kolkata. But they lost their last two matches. Their final match was against Chennai Super Kings, who won easily. This knocked Punjab out of the tournament. They finished sixth. KL Rahul was again the top scorer with 670 runs. Mohammed Shami took 20 wickets.

The 2021 season was the 14th for the Punjab Kings. They were one of eight teams in the 2021 Indian Premier League. They won only 6 out of 14 matches. They finished sixth in the tournament. They kept sixteen players and released nine. They had also just changed their name to "Punjab Kings."

League Stage (2022-2024)

The 2022 season was a mixed bag for Punjab Kings. They won 7 games and lost 7 games. They finished in sixth place out of 10 teams.

In 2023, PBKS finished eighth. They lost 8 games and won only 6.

In 2024, PBKS finished ninth out of 10 teams. They had the second-worst Net Run Rate (NRR).

Top of the Table (2025)

The 2025 season was the best for PBKS so far. They finished at the top of the table with 19 points. They won 9 games and lost only 4. They also had one match that was abandoned and one that was voided. This great comeback was thanks to their new captain, Shreyas Iyer.

Sadly, PBKS lost the first qualifier match on their home ground to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. But they had a lucky win in the second qualifier against Mumbai Indians. This sent Punjab to the finals. The final was against RCB, and the chances for both teams were almost even. Punjab had a chance to win their first-ever title. The final was almost rained out, which could have meant PBKS would win. But the game went on, and RCB won their first title by 6 runs.

Team Performance Record

Indian Premier League

Current Team Squad

• Players who have played for their country are in bold.
•  *  means a player is currently not available.
•  *  means a player is not available for the rest of the season.

No.	Name	Nationality	Birth date	Batting style	Bowling style	Year signed	Salary	Notes
Captain
96	Shreyas Iyer	India	(1994-12-06) 6 December 1994 (age 30)	Right-handed	Right-arm leg break		₹26.75 crore (US$4.5 million)
Batters
	Pyla Avinash	India	(2000-07-07) 7 July 2000 (age 25)	Right-handed	Right-arm medium-fast		₹30 lakh (US$51,000)
19	Nehal Wadhera	India	(2000-09-04) 4 September 2000 (age 24)	Left-handed	Right-arm leg break		₹4.2 crore (US$710,000)
18	Priyansh Arya	India	(2001-01-18) 18 January 2001 (age 24)	Left-handed	Right-arm off break		₹3.8 crore (US$650,000)
	Harnoor Singh	India	(2003-01-30) 30 January 2003 (age 22)	Left-handed	Right-arm leg break		₹30 lakh (US$51,000)
97	Musheer Khan	India	(2005-02-27) 27 February 2005 (age 20)	Right-handed	Left-arm orthodox		₹30 lakh (US$51,000)
Wicket-keepers
	Vishnu Vinod	India	(1993-12-02) 2 December 1993 (age 31)	Right-handed			₹95 lakh (US$160,000)
95	Josh Inglis	Australia	(1995-03-04) 4 March 1995 (age 30)	Right-handed	Right-arm off break		₹2.6 crore (US$440,000)	Overseas
84	Prabhsimran Singh	India	(2000-08-10) 10 August 2000 (age 24)	Right-handed			₹4 crore (US$680,000)
All-rounders
32	Glenn Maxwell	Australia	(1988-10-14) 14 October 1988 (age 36)	Right-handed	Right-arm off break		₹4.2 crore (US$710,000)	Overseas,Ruled out due to injury
16	Mitchell Owen	Australia	(2001-09-11) 11 September 2001 (age 23)	Right-handed	Right-arm medium		₹3 crore (US$510,000)	Overseas, Replacement of Glenn Maxwell
17	Marcus Stoinis	Australia	(1989-08-16) 16 August 1989 (age 35)	Right-handed	Right-arm medium-fast		₹11 crore (US$1.9 million)	Overseas
27	Shashank Singh	India	(1991-11-21) 21 November 1991 (age 33)	Right-handed	Right-arm medium-fast		₹4 crore (US$680,000)
	Aaron Hardie	Australia	(1999-01-07) 7 January 1999 (age 26)	Right-handed	Right-arm medium-fast		₹1.25 crore (US$210,000)	Overseas
9	Azmatullah Omarzai	Afghanistan	(2000-03-24) 24 March 2000 (age 25)	Right-handed	Right-arm medium-fast		₹2.4 crore (US$410,000)	Overseas
70	Marco Jansen	South Africa	(2000-05-01) 1 May 2000 (age 25)	Right-handed	Left-arm medium-fast		₹7 crore (US$1.2 million)	Overseas
5	Suryansh Shedge	India	(2003-01-29) 29 January 2003 (age 22)	Right-handed	Right-arm medium-fast		₹30 lakh (US$51,000)
Pace bowlers
69	Lockie Ferguson	New Zealand	(1991-06-13) 13 June 1991 (age 34)	Right-handed	Right-arm medium-fast		₹2 crore (US$340,000)	Overseas, Ruled Out due to injury
12	Kyle Jamieson	New Zealand	(1994-12-30) 30 December 1994 (age 30)	Right-handed	Right-arm medium-fast		₹2 crore (US$340,000)	Overseas, Replacement for Lockie Ferguson
	Kuldeep Sen	India	(1996-10-22) 22 October 1996 (age 28)	Right-handed	Right-arm medium-fast		₹80 lakh (US$140,000)
31	Vijaykumar Vyshak	India	(1997-01-31) 31 January 1997 (age 28)	Right-handed	Right-arm medium-fast		₹1.8 crore (US$310,000)
	Yash Thakur	India	(1998-12-28) 28 December 1998 (age 26)	Right-handed	Right-arm medium-fast		₹1.6 crore (US$270,000)
15	Xavier Bartlett	Australia	(1998-12-17) 17 December 1998 (age 26)	Right-handed	Right-arm fast		₹80 lakh (US$140,000)	Overseas
2	Arshdeep Singh	India	(1999-02-05) 5 February 1999 (age 26)	Left-handed	Left-arm medium-fast		₹18 crore (US$3.1 million)
Spin bowlers
3	Yuzvendra Chahal	India	(1990-07-23) 23 July 1990 (age 35)	Right-handed	Right-arm leg break		₹18 crore (US$3.1 million)
46	Praveen Dubey	India	(1993-07-01) 1 July 1993 (age 32)	Right-handed	Right-arm leg break		₹30 lakh (US$51,000)
13	Harpreet Brar	India	(1995-09-16) 16 September 1995 (age 29)	Left-handed	Left-arm orthodox		₹1.5 crore (US$260,000)
Source: PBKS Squad

Team Management and Coaches

Team Kit and Sponsors

Team Statistics

Overall Performance Summary

Matches Against Other IPL Teams

• Source: ESPNcricinfo

Matches in Champions League Twenty20

More Information

• List of Punjab Kings cricketers
• Cricket in India
• Indian Premier League

Punjab was the finalist of 2025 season