IPL 2021: Gautam Gambhir Names 3 Players Who Could Turn Things Around Punjab Kings

Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir feels Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) need to bid for bowlers like Umesh Yadav, Kyle Jamieson, Chris Morris in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) auction to bolsters their bowling department.

There is no doubt that the KL Rahul led side suffered badly in the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League due to the lack of death bowlers in their squad. Their bowling at the death and during powerplays emerged as major bugbears as the likes of Mohammed Shami, Sheldon Cottrell, and Arshdeep Singh consistently leaked runs.

Thus, the cricketer turned commentator wants Punjab to bid for the Indian seamer Umesh Yadav, who was released by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) ahead of IPL 2021, as he believes that the pacer bowling along with Shami will open a lot of doors for skipper KL Rahul to rotate the fast bowlers.

“They (Punjab Kings) might have to probably strengthen their Indian bowling because apart from Mohhamed Shami there is no one who could complement him,” Gautam Gambhir said as quoted by India Today.

“Probably Umesh Yadav will be a very good pick – Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav bowling with a new ball; so, they can actually rotate their fast bowlers. If you have got two Indian bowlers bowling with the new ball, it can actually open one gap for you from an overseas point of view,” he added.

Further, Gautam Gambhir suggested the Mohali-based franchise to go for players like Chris Morris and Kyle Jamieson as they will be a perfect addition who can contribute both with the bat and the ball.

Notably, Punjab Kings has the highest purse among all the eight franchises; INR 53.4 crore and can fill up to 9 slots including 5 overseas players slots.

“They can have someone like Chris Morris who can bowl well in the death as well, and at the same time Kyle Jamieson so they can pick both of them” Gambhir concluded.

Punjab Kings Were a Bit Unlucky in IPL 2020: Gautam Gambhir

Punjab Kings’ IPL 2020 campaign got off to a disappointing start as they lost six of their first seven games, mostly by slender margins.

Gambhir while pointing out two defeats – against the Delhi Capitals in their first match (Super Over) and against the Kolkata Knight Riders (by two runs) said that the Punjab Kings were a “bit unlucky” to end up on the losing side in such close matches.

“They were a bit unlucky; I would say. One of the games I still remember obviously was against Delhi Capitals, one game was against KKR where they missed by an inch. But there are no excuses; ultimately, if you don’t win, you don’t win – as simple as it gets,” Gambhir added.