IPL 2025: Top 3 Newly Acquired Players Who Can Be Game Changer For Punjab Kings
IPL 2025 is just around the corner, and we expect many exciting matches in the upcoming eighteenth season of the Indian Premier League. Punjab Kings is one of the teams that looks promising for the upcoming IPL 2025. As we all know, an IPL mega auction takes place every three years, and the IPL 2025 mega auction drastically changed most of the tournament squads. One team that has also revamped its squad is Punjab Kings, who brought in new players and even a new captain for the IPL 2025. In this article, we will discuss three new Punjab Kings players who could be game-changers for the team this season.
IPL 2025 is scheduled to start on March 22 with a match between the defending champions, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The tournament will continue for over two months, concluding on May 25 with the Finals at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Meanwhile, Punjab Kings will kick off their season on March 25 against Gujarat Giants at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
These are the top three new players who can be game-changers for the Punjab Kings this season.
Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer, who led the Kolkata Knight Riders to their third title in the IPL 2024, will lead the Punjab Kings in the upcoming Indian Premier League 2025. Despite performing well and guiding the team to victory, Shreyas was not retained by KKR for the IPL 2025. He also expressed disappointment over this, stating he didn’t receive the recognition he deserved after winning the title and there was a lack of communication after the season.
Shreyas Iyer attracted high bids in the IPL 2025 Mega Auction in a long and highly contested bidding process. Finally, Punjab Kings acquired him at a bid of ₹ 26.75 crore, making him the most expensive player of the time. However, the title of most expensive player moved to Rishab Pant, who LSG acquired at 27 Crore within an hour after Shreyas’s acquisition.
In the 15 matches played, Shreyas Iyer has scored 3127 runs, with an average of 32.24 and a strike rate of 127.48. In the last 10 seasons, he has scored 21 half-centuries, with the highest score being 96.
Glenn Maxwell
Glen Maxwell, the star Australian all-rounder, is another player who can be a game-changer for PBKS this season. Maxwell, who has previously played for the Punjab Kings, is back in the team for IPL 2025. His ability to change the direction of the match in just a few overs makes him one of the most versatile and rare players in cricket. However, his capabilities often come as a double-edged sword, as he has been inconsistent over the last decade in the IPL, scoring over 300 runs in only four seasons; during one season, he scored as low as 52 runs in the whole season.
Maxwell played the last four seasons for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). He performed well for the team in the first three seasons, especially in IPL 2021, where he scored over 500 runs. However, he had a disappointing IPL 2024, after which the team released him for IPL 2025. In the IPL 2025 mega auction, Punjab Kings acquired him for ₹4.2 Crore.
In over 13 seasons, Maxwell played 134 matches, scoring 201771 runs at an average of 24.74 and a strike rate of 150.73. He also scored 18 half-centuries, with his highest score being 95.
Yazuvendra Chahal
Yuzvendra Chahal, currently in the news for his personal life, is another player who can be a significant game-changer for Punjab Kings and is expected to perform well in the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League. Chahal has consistently excelled with his leg spin over the years with various teams, and his stats speak for themselves. His capabilities are evident in his being one of the best bowlers, even in a batting haven like M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
After playing for RCB for over eight years, Chahal found his new team in IPL 2022: the Rajasthan Royals. However, after three seasons, the Rajasthan Royals released him before IPL 2025. After an extensive bidding, the Punjab Kings finally acquired him in the auction for a bid of ₹ 18 crore.
In the 1,860 matches played, Chahal took 205 wickets with an economy rate of 7.84 and a bowling average of 22.45. Over his 12-year IPL career, Chahal achieved six four-wicket hauls and one five-wicket haul.
Punjab Kings Squad For IPL 2025
| Role | Players |
|---|---|
| Captain | Shreyas Iyer |
| Batsmen | Josh Inglis, Prabhsimran Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Vishnu Vinod, Harnoor Pannu, Priyansh Arya |
| All-rounders | Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen, Shashank Singh, Aaron Hardie |
| Spinners | Yuzvendra Chahal, Harpreet Brar, Sai Kishore |
| Fast Bowlers | Arshdeep Singh, Lockie Ferguson, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yash Thakur, Kuldeep Sen |
| Uncapped Players | Musheer Khan, Suryansh Shedge, Pyla Avinash |
Punjab Kings Schedule For IPL 2025
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 25 | Gujarat Titans | Narendra Modi stadium, Ahmedabad | 7:30 PM |
| April 1 | Lucknow Super Giants | Ekana Stadium, Lucknow | 7:30 PM |
| April 5 | Rajasthan Royals | Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh | 7:30 PM |
| April 8 | Chennai Super Kings | Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh | 7:30 PM |
| April 12 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad | 7:30 PM |
| April 15 | Kolkata Knight Riders | Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh | 7:30 PM |
| April 18 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | Chinnaswamy stadium, Bengaluru | 7:30 PM |
| April 20 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh | 3:30 PM |
| April 26 | Kolkata Knight Riders | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | 7:30 PM |
| April 30 | Chennai Super Kings | Chepauk, Chennai | 7:30 PM |
| May 4 | Lucknow Super Giants | Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala | 7:30 PM |
| May 8 | Delhi Capitals | Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala | 7:30 PM |
| May 11 | Mumbai Indians | Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala | 3:30 PM |
| May 16 | Rajasthan Royals | Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur | 7:30 PM |
