Punjab Kings

Expulsion from the IPL and return

Following the controversy surrounding the BCCI and Lalit Modi in 2010, the Indian Premier League announced on 10 October 2010 that it had terminated the franchise contracts of Kings XI Punjab and the Rajasthan Royals. The teams announced that they would take legal action to remain in the Indian Premier League.^[5] Initially, the team tried to negotiate a solution with the league, but when one could not be reached, they decided to file a legal case in the Bombay High Court. They accused the IPL of getting rid of the two teams so that when the bidding process would start for the 2012 IPL season, the contract would be given to a more lucrative bidder.^[6]

The termination order was stayed by the Bombay High Court,^[7] and the legal dispute between the BCCI and the franchise ended in 2012.^[8]

Name change

On 17 February 2021, Kings XI Punjab was renamed to Punjab Kings, ahead of the 2021 Indian Premier League.^[9][10][11] Ness Wadia explained the reason for changing the franchise name was to "relook at things" and rebrand after 13 seasons of the IPL. He expressed his disappointment over the franchise for "not being able to win a title" and expected them to "start afresh" after a name change. He added that the name change had been planned two years ago and COVID-19 had just delayed the announcement.^[12]

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Captains

Last updated: 4 May 2025^[13]

Early IPL seasons (2008–2010)

The 2008 tournament got off to a slow start for the Kings XI Punjab, with the team losing their first two games. However, a player of the match performance by Kumar Sangakkara, who scored 94 runs off 56 balls, helped them defeat Mumbai Indians by 66 runs in their third game.^[14] Despite the absence of Brett Lee and Simon Katich for parts of the season, the team found its groove, winning nine of its next 10 matches. They clinched a semi-final berth but suffered a nine-wicket loss to the Chennai Super Kings.^[15]

Shaun Marsh was the breakout star of the inaugural season. Signed as an uncapped player on 9 April after being overlooked in the auction,^[16] he finished as the tournament's first Orange Cap holder. Marsh amassed 616 runs in just 11 innings at an average of 68.44, including one century and five half-centuries.^[17]

In 2009, the tournament moved to South Africa due to security concerns in India. The franchise signed a sponsorship deal with Emirates and sought to bolster its bowling by bidding for Jerome Taylor and Yusuf Abdulla.^[18] However, Taylor was ruled out due to injury before the season began, and the team struggled with the unavailability of key Australian players. Despite a mid-season resurgence, their semi-final hopes were crushed after a final league match loss to Chennai Super Kings, leaving them in 5th place.^{[citation needed]}

The 2010 season was the team's most difficult of the early era, as they finished in last position (8th) with only four wins.^[19] A major highlight was their first-ever Super Over victory against Chennai Super Kings; after both teams tied at 136 runs, Juan Theron restricted Chennai to 9 runs in the tie-breaker, which Yuvraj Singh chased down with a boundary off Muttiah Muralitharan.^[20] Mahela Jayawardene was the team's leading run-scorer for the season with 472 runs.^[21]

Rise of Kings XI Punjab (2011–2014)

The 2011 IPL season saw a complete overhaul as the franchise appointed Michael Bevan as coach and Adam Gilchrist as captain.^[22] The team narrowly missed the playoffs, finishing fifth on the table after a five-match losing streak mid-season hampered their progress.^[23] A standout individual performance came from uncapped opener Paul Valthaty, who scored a century (120*) against Chennai Super Kings, then the highest individual score in the tournament's history.^[24]

In 2012, the team finished sixth overall, winning eight of their sixteen matches.^[25] Mandeep Singh emerged as a key domestic talent, finishing as the team's leading run-scorer with 432 runs and winning the "Rising Star of the Tournament" award.^[25]

The 2013 season was marked by David Miller's historic performance against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Chasing 190, Miller smashed an unbeaten 101 off just 38 balls, the third-fastest century in IPL history at the time.^[26] Despite his heroics, the team failed to qualify for the playoffs, and captain Adam Gilchrist retired from all forms of cricket at the end of the season.^[27]

The 2014 season was the franchise's most successful. Under new captain George Bailey and coach Sanjay Bangar, the team won all five of their opening matches held in the UAE.^[28] Glenn Maxwell was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player (MVP) after scoring 552 runs at a strike rate of 187.75.^[29] In the final, Wriddhiman Saha became the first player to score a century in an IPL final (115*), but the team finished as runners-up after Kolkata Knight Riders chased down 200 with three balls to spare.^[30]

2014 CLT20

Kings XI Punjab qualified for the 2014 Champions League Twenty20 as they finished runners-up in the 2014 IPL. They were placed in Group B along with the Hobart Hurricanes (Australia), the Barbados Tridents (West Indies), the Cape Cobras (South Africa) and the Northern Knights (New Zealand).

Kings XI's first match was in their home stadium, the PCA Stadium, Mohali where they beat Hobart Hurricanes by five wickets, overhauling Hobart's 144–6 in 17.4 overs. Thisara Perera was named the Man Of The Match with 2–17 and 35* off 20 balls.^[31] Glenn Maxwell top scored in the game with 43. They also won the second match beating the Barbados Tridents by four wickets, chasing down 175 with two balls to spare thanks to an unbeaten 46 from David Miller.^[32]

They won their third match of the competition against the Northern Knights and qualified for the semi-finals. In this match, they set the record for the biggest win in CLT20 history by 120 runs, after scoring 215/5 fueled by half-centuries from Manan Vohra and Virender Sehwag.^[33] They continued to win their final group match against the Cape Cobras by seven wickets to remain unbeaten in the group stage, with Akshar Patel taking 3 for 15.^[34]

However, they were knocked out of the tournament at the semi-final stage with a disappointing 65-run defeat against their IPL rivals the Chennai Super Kings.^[35] Despite Parvinder Awana taking a hat-trick in the match, the team was bowled out for 117 while chasing 183.^[36] The Super Kings went on to win the tournament.

Heartbreak (2015–2020)

George Bailey continued to lead the team during the 2015 season. The team won just three of the 14 games and finished eighth in the league.^[37] David Miller finished the season as top scorer with 357 runs and Anureet Singh was the leading wicket-taker with 15 wickets.^[38]

In 2016, David Miller began the season as captain but was replaced by Murali Vijay mid-season due to the team's poor form.^[39] The team finished eighth once again with only four wins. Vijay was the top scorer with 453 runs and Sandeep Sharma took 15 wickets.^[40]

For the 2017 season, Virender Sehwag joined as head coach and Glenn Maxwell was appointed captain. The team improved significantly but missed the playoffs after a heavy nine-wicket defeat to Rising Pune Supergiant in their final league match, ending in fifth place.^[41] Hashim Amla was the standout performer, scoring two centuries during the campaign.^[42]

The 2018 season featured a new-look squad with Ravichandran Ashwin as captain and Brad Hodge as coach. KL Rahul made an immediate impact, scoring the then-fastest fifty in IPL history off just 14 balls against Delhi Daredevils.^[43] Despite winning five of their first six games, the team collapsed in the second half, winning only one of their final eight matches to finish seventh.^[44] Andrew Tye won the Purple Cap for most wickets (24).^[45]

In 2019, under head coach Mike Hesson, the team finished sixth. On the auction day (18 December 2018), KXIP snapped up 13 players, including Varun Chakaravarthy for a record ₹8.4 crore.^[46] KL Rahul was the highest scorer for the team with 593 runs.^[47]

The 2020 season, held in the UAE due to the COVID-19 pandemic, saw KL Rahul take over as captain with Anil Kumble as head coach.^[48] The season was a rollercoaster; after losing five consecutive games, Punjab won five in a row, including a historic double-Super Over victory against Mumbai Indians.^[49] KL Rahul won the Orange Cap with 670 runs, and his 132* against RCB became the highest score by an Indian in IPL history.^[50] They finished sixth after losing their final two matches.^[51]

New Name, Same Fate: Punjab Kings (2021–2024)

In February 2021, the franchise officially rebranded from Kings XI Punjab to Punjab Kings, aiming for a "reset" after years of inconsistent performance.^[52] In their first season under the new name, they finished sixth with 12 points. Despite the team's struggles, captain KL Rahul remained prolific, finishing as the league's third-highest run-scorer with 626 runs.^[53]

The 2022 season, led by Mayank Agarwal, followed a similar pattern. Punjab finished sixth for the fourth consecutive year, winning seven and losing seven matches with a net run rate (NRR) of +0.126.^[54] Liam Livingstone was a standout, scoring 437 runs at a strike rate of 182.08.^[55]

In 2023, under captain Shikhar Dhawan, the team finished eighth. Dhawan led the scoring with 373 runs, but the team's playoff hopes were dashed after a late-season loss to Delhi Capitals.^[56]

The 2024 season saw the team finish ninth. A historic highlight occurred in Match 42, where Punjab Kings set a world record for the highest successful run chase in T20 history, overhauling Kolkata Knight Riders' 261/6 with eight balls to spare.^[57] Shashank Singh (354 runs) and Harshal Patel (24 wickets) were the season's top performers, with Patel winning the Purple Cap.

A Season of Redemption (2025)

After a major overhaul at the 2025 auction, Punjab Kings appointed Shreyas Iyer as captain and Ricky Ponting as head coach.^[58] The team dominated the league stage, finishing first in the standings with 19 points from 9 wins.^{[citation needed]} Shreyas Iyer led the batting charts with 604 runs, while Arshdeep Singh spearheaded the attack with 21 wickets.^{[citation needed]}

In the playoffs, Punjab lost Qualifier 1 to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) but secured a place in the final after defeating Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 2, where Shreyas Iyer scored a match-winning 87*.^[59] In a closely contested final at the Narendra Modi Stadium, RCB posted 190/9. Despite a late charge from Shashank Singh (61*), Punjab fell short by 6 runs, finishing as runners-up for the second time in franchise history.^[60]

Indian Premier League

Performance summary

As of 29 May 2025

Opposition in Indian Premier League

As of 3 June 2024

• Source: ESPNcricinfo^[61]

Opposition in CLT20