Punjab Kings (PBKS) had just reached the halfway mark batting first in Dharamsala when a sudden wave of anxious urgency swept through the IPL officials. Signals went up. Something awful was unfolding. Awful it was, indeed, when the players found out they were in the middle of a potential war-like situation. The ground was emptied. Match abandoned. The tournament was suspended indefinitely. Some stayed in India. Others flew home on the first available flight.
Now that the IPL has resumed and normalcy is tentatively restored, Punjab have realised they were turning the world upside down in their pursuit of a maiden IPL trophy.
They are currently in third place on the points table and have a fair chance of making it through to the next stage. But any game plan can only be devised once they have all their parts reassembled, which hasn’t happened so far. The Australian trio, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Inglis, and Aaron Hardie, have yet to confirm whether they will return to India for the rest of the tournament. And that’s just the start of their troubles.
They have been stripped of home venue rights, with Jaipur serving as their temporary base for the remainder of the season. On top of that, barring Xavier Bartlett and Azmatullah Omarzai, none of their original foreign picks are likely to stay until the end. Luckily for them, their late signing of Mitchell Owen, who comes as a partial replacement for the injured Glenn Maxwell, has confirmed he will keep Azmatullah and Bartlett company right through to the IPL final, if PBKS make it that far. Owen had been playing for Peshawar Zalmi, with his PSL contract running until May 18, the originally scheduled final date.
Marco Jansen, although back in India, is part of South Africa’s World Test Championship (WTC) final-bound squad. Like the rest of his teammates, he will leave by May 25, the original IPL final date. That leaves him available for just two of PBKS’ three remaining group-stage matches.
PBKS have brought in Kyle Jamieson to patch up their bowling, now that they may have to enter the playoffs without their top options. Jamieson, like Owen, was also playing in the Pakistan Super League, representing Quetta Gladiators, and comes in as a replacement for the injured Lockie Ferguson.
Josh Inglis, if he returns, will also only be available for the group stage, since he too is part of Australia’s WTC final squad.
As things stand, PBKS are in a race against time, not just to cover their bases, but to make sure every piece is locked and ready before Sunday’s game in Jaipur. They haven’t played a single match at the venue this season. Worse, they meet the actual home team Rajasthan Royals, in their first game back. In a competition this cutthroat, PBKS can’t afford to start the last leg with a defeat.
IPL 2025: PBKS remaining schedule:
May 18 – Punjab Kings vs Rajasthan Royals – Jaipur (Day/Night game)
May 24 – Punjab Kings vs Delhi Capitals – Jaipur (Night game)
May 26 – Punjab Kings vs Mumbai Indians – Jaipur (Night game)
