Punjab Kings

One of the eight founding teams of the IPL, Punjab Kings (then Kings XI Punjab), have failed to make the Playoffs for nine straight seasons since the 2014 edition, where they made their solitary appearance in the final. A pulsating chase by Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens stole Punjab's thunder in the final as they settled for the runners-up title. The only other time the Punjab franchise made the knockouts was in the inaugural edition.

Inconsistencies in team personnel have marred PBKS over the years. While Shikhar Dhawan will return as captain, the team will need to find a way to break the rut of failing to make the top four. The team retained its core ahead of the IPL 2024 auction, completely buying into their newfound power-hitting philosophy. Punjab shelled out big money for three internationals, Harshal Patel (Rs. 11.75 crore), Chris Woakes (Rs. 4.20 crore), and Rilee Rossouw (Rs. 8 crore), besides stocking up local talent for a season they would hope will end the Playoffs jinx.

PBKS squad for IPL 2024: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Matthew Short, Prabhsimran Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Sikandar Raza, Rishi Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, Atharva Taide, Arshdeep Singh, Nathan Ellis, Sam Curran, Kagiso Rabada, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Harpreet Bhatia, Vidwath Kaverappa, Shivam Singh, Harshal Patel, Chris Woakes, Ashutosh Sharma, Vishwanath Pratap Singh, Shashank Singh, Tanay Thyagarajann, Prince Choudhary, Rilee Rossouw.