IPL 2025: Opening Pair Uncertainty...? - 3 Weaknesses of Shreyas Iyer's PBKS

Shreyas Iyer & Ricky Ponting [Source: @CricCrazyJohns/x.com, @iplt20.com]Shreyas Iyer & Ricky Ponting [Source: @CricCrazyJohns/x.com, @iplt20.com]

Punjab Kings have rolled the dice big time for IPL 2025. After an abysmal camapign last season, where they won just five games and finished second last, they made a massive overhaul.

Only Shashank Singh and Prabhsimran Singh survived the axe. With a mega auction purse of ₹110.5 crore, they splurged on big guns like Shreyas Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, and Arshdeep Singh.

On paper, this squad has the makings of a title contender. But cricket isn’t won on paper. There are some weak spots in this shiny lineup. Let’s call a spade a spade and look at the top three weaknesses of Punjab Kings.

Before going into the deeper analysis let us look at the PBKS squad for IPL 2025 –

PBKS squad for IPL 2025

Batters: Josh Inglis, Shreyas Iyer, Prabhsimran Singh, Vishnu Vinod, Nehal Wadhera.

All-rounders: Azmatullah Omarzai, Aaron Hardie, Marco Jansen, Glenn Maxwell, Musheer Khan, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Suryansh Shedge.

Bowlers: Arshdeep Singh, Xavier Bartlett, Yuzvendra Chahal, Praveen Dubey, Lockie Ferguson, Harpreet Brar, Kuldeep Sen, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yash Thakur, Priyansh Arya, Pyla Avinash, Harnoor Singh.

Weaknesses Of PBKS For IPL 2025

3. Lack of Left-Handers

Punjab’s batting lineup is lopsided, to say the least. Apart from Nehal Wadhera, there’s no left-hander in sight. This could be a massive problem. Teams with sharp bowlers will pick up on this like a shark smells blood. Spinners will exploit the angles, and Punjab might find themselves boxed in without any way out.

Having just one leftie in the top seven is like walking into a battle with one weapon. Opposition bowlers will set their fields and bowl plans with zero worry about a left-right combo messing them up. It’s a small detail, but it could cost them big.

2. No Depth in Indian Bench

Punjab’s first XI looks solid. But after that? Not much to write home about. Their domestic backups in the batting department are thin. Vishnu Vinod has experience, but he’s still a newbie at this level. Musheer Khan is an exciting talent, but he hasn’t played a single IPL game yet.

In a long tournament, you need a strong bench. Injuries happen, players lose form, and you need backups who can step in without breaking a sweat. Right now, Punjab’s domestic batting reserves are a roll of the dice. If they’re forced to dig into that bench, things could get messy real quick.

1. Opening Pair Problems

Prabhsimran Singh is the man Punjab trusts at the top. But who will be his partner? That’s the million-dollar question.

They could try Marcus Stoinis, but that’s not ideal. Stoinis is a beast in the middle order. If he’s moved up, the middle loses its backbone. It’s a risky shuffle, and Punjab can’t afford to upset the balance of their batting order. 

Josh Inglis is another option but using an overseas option up front will leave them with a foreign player short in the middle-order and bowling line-up, which could disrupt the entire balance of the team.

A solid opening pair is the foundation of any T20 team. Without it, you’re always playing catch-up. Punjab’s powerplays could turn into nightmares if they don’t solve this before the season starts.