Punjab Kings, formerly known as Kings XI Punjab made their IPL debut in 2008 and became a regular member of the league. But the stats suggest that they have always performed below the standards in the league. The franchise never shies away from investing big bucks at the IPL auction, but the result and performance have always been poor.
Punjab has qualified for the playoffs only twice in 15 seasons, including a final appearance in 2014. And with such poor overall performance, the franchise has also made a lot of changing and chopping in the team. That’s a total of 14 players who have captained this team in 15 seasons, which is the most for any IPL team. Here we will talk about the players who have led PBKS in the IPL so far.
List of Captains for Punjab Kings
| Captains | Span | Mts | Won | Lost | Tied | NR | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yuvraj Singh | 2008-2009 | 29 | 17 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 58.62 |
| Kumar Sangakkara | 2010-2010 | 13 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 26.92 |
| Mahela Jayawardene | 2010-2010 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Adam Gilchrist | 2011-2013 | 34 | 17 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| David Hussey | 2012-2013 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| George Bailey | 2014-2015 | 35 | 18 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 51.42 |
| Virendra Sehwag | 2015-2015 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50.00 |
| David Miller | 2016-2016 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 16.66 |
| Muralia Vijay | 2016-2016 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 37.50 |
| Glenn Maxwell | 2017-2017 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Ravi Ashwin | 2018-2019 | 28 | 12 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 42.85 |
| KL Rahul | 2020-2021 | 27 | 11 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 44.44 |
| Mayank Agarwal | 2021-2022 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Shikhar Dhawan* | 2022-2023 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
4. Yuvraj Singh (IPL 2008 and 2009 seasons)
Yuvraj Singh was the first player to lead the Punjab franchise in the 2008 season. The team made it to the semi-finals in 2008. Yuvraj led the team in the 2008 and 2009 seasons, respectively. But he stepped down from the captaincy in 2009. Under his captaincy, Punjab played 29 games and won 17, but lost 12 of them. He played 51 games for them and scored 959 runs.
3. George Bailey (IPL 2014 and 2015 seasons)
George Baily, Adam Gilchrist (2011 and 2013), Ravi Ashwin (2018 and 2019) and KL Rahul (2020 and 2021) all have led the franchise in two seasons each. But the number suggests that Bailey had a better win percentage overall. He led the team in the 2014 and 2015 seasons, respectively. Under him, Punjab played the final of the 2014 season. He led in a total of 35 games and won 18, while losing 17. Bailey played 35 games as a captain and scored 581 runs at a strike rate of 132.95.
2. Mayank Agarwal (PBKS Captain in 2022)
Mayank Agarwal became the captain of the Punjab Kings after they released KL Rahul ahead of the 2022 season. That was the time when Agarwal was given the captaincy. Although that decision didn’t work well for them, it didn’t make any difference for them. PBKS finished 6th on the IPL 2022 table, winning seven out of 14 matches under Agarwal’s captaincy. The franchise has now released him, and they have appointed Shikhar Dhawan as their 14th captain in the IPL.
1. KL Rahul (IPL 2022 and 2021 seasons)
KL Rahul is one of the few captains who has led the team in two IPL seasons. Rahul took the charge after Ravi Ashwin in 2020 season and stayed captain till 2021. He led the team in 27 games and has 11 wins, 14 defeats, and two ties to his name. The only thing that made him better was his incredible batting numbers. He scored 2548 runs (most for the franchise) in just 55 games at an average of 56.62, including two centuries and 23 half-centuries.