They have never won the IPL in the past 13 editions of the tournament. They need to do things differently and for starters, they have just rebranded themselves with the hope that it would bring about a change in fortunes.

So Kings XI Punjab are now rechristened Punjab Kings.

But what’s in a name? Do they have the players who can take them all the way to the title in IPL 2021? Or even if they have the right players, will they be able to forge a winning combination? Remember, how they flattered to deceive last year?

On paper, Punjab have one of the hottest batting line-ups in this year’s IPL. At the top, they have KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal, who formed a very successful opening pair in IPL 2020. Captain Rahul was a run machine with a tally of 670, Mayank too was impressive with 424 runs.

Following them is the evergreen Chris Gayle and the fast-rising Nicholas Pooran. Punjab will have to think wisely with this Caribbean pair. They had erred in not playing Gayle initially last year, while Pooran’s big-hitting ability is best used if he bats up the order. But it looks like veteran Gayle might have to again fight for his place in the XI as Punjab have roped in the No.1 T20 batsman in the world, Dawid Malan.

One assumes that Punjab will be regularly playing Aussie pacer Jhye Richardson after getting him on board for Rs 14 crore. That leaves just three available slots in the team for overseas players. And with no Glenn Maxwell in the team this time, they will probably be looking to play one overseas all-rounder from the trio of Fabian Allen, Chris Jordan and Moises Henriques. That makes the equation more complex.

On the bowling front, all eyes will be on the return from injury of Mohammed Shami. If he is fit, it will be interesting to see him and Richardson pair up.

Lessons from IPL 2020

• IPL throws up pressure-cooker matches and failure to hold nerves spells disaster. That’s the reason why Punjab lost their way last time despite some very good performances. They had staged a brilliant comeback in the second half of IPL 2020 winning five matches on the trot, but then lost their last two games, against Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings, to be knocked out.
  
  “If you look back, there were times where we had a lot of games in our pockets, (but) we couldn’t get over the line and finish,” Rahul had said last season. So to succeed, they will need to handle their nerves better. Perhaps, coach Anil Kumble, known for his steely resolve, could offer a tip or two.
  
• Young leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi was quite impressive last year, but Punjab lacked a good second spinner. The picture looks pretty much similar this year too. Besides Bishnoi, Murugan Ashwin and Jalaj Saxena are the only other spinners in the squad and with the matches set to be played on Indian pitches, they might rue not having another quality spinner in the team.

Last year’s finish: Sixth

X-factor

In a squad bursting with big names, there’s a certain Shahrukh Khan who can be the “Baazigar” for Punjab. Not because he is a namesake, but because the 6 feet 4 inches Tamil Nadu batsman is known for his Hulk-like presence at the crease. He can muscle up sixes from the word go, is flexible to bat at any position and comes on the back of a very successful domestic season. It will also be easier for Punjab to slot the Indian in the XI. He might just be the finisher they were looking for.

Shahrukh in T20s (overall)

> Mts 31 > Runs 293 > HS 40* > Avg. 18.31 > S/r 131.39