Follow UsPunjab Kings had pressed the reset button hard ahead of the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, and there was a big reshuffle both amongst the playing and coaching contingent.
However, under Shreyas Iyer and Ricky Ponting, the franchise had one of their best-ever seasons in IPL history, reaching the final with their heads held high. It was only the final battle that was lost; however, PBKS found some really solid performers along the way who would serve them for a long time to come.
Unfortunately, there were a few players who couldn’t repay the faith shown in them in ample measure. The next season would be a great opportunity for these players to do what they couldn’t in 2025. Let’s have a look at three such players.
Maxwell only played seven matches in the 2025 IPL season and was ruled out of the remainder of the season with injury. Even in those games, he could manage just 48 runs at a strike rate of 98. It felt like a ghost of Maxwell was batting instead of him, as the all-rounder became a walking wicket.
Even in bowling, where he has contributed quite a bit in the past, his utility was limited as he picked four wickets at an economy of 8.5. Had he played the season further, his bowling could have been used more by PBKS, but that wasn’t the case.
The next season would be a great opportunity for Maxwell, because we all know how dangerous he can be when he has a point to prove.
Omarzai was one of those underrated picks that many people had hinged a lot of hopes on; however, his performance was barely passable with both the bat and the ball.
In bowling, the Afghan pacer bowled 27 overs and picked only eight wickets while leaking runs at more than 10 runs/over. He failed to be reliable in the powerplay overs, and that would be one area the largely swing-dependent pacer would look to improve.
Meanwhile, with the bat, he could score only 57 runs in five innings at an average of 14.25. These numbers belie his potential, which he has shown is immense on many occasions for Afghanistan. Hence, one can surely expect that this feisty cricketer will bounce back next season.
Vyshak came into the PBKS with the reputation of being a wily, smart pacer who uses his change of pace deliveries to create chances. While he did manage to do it on a few occasions, he lacked the consistency to make PBKS management play him more than the five matches he featured in.
He picked only four wickets in those five games and the 17 overs he bowled, and leaked runs at 10.6 runs/over while averaging 45.3 runs/wicket. These numbers were unacceptable for a talent of his quality, and he would certainly hope to improve them next time