A comprehensive look at every captain of Punjab Kings in IPL from Yuvraj Singh to Sam Curran.
Punjab Kings (PBKS) is one of the teams that are yet to get their hands on the Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy. The team has had some of the world’s best, including the likes of Virender Sehwag, Brett Lee, Shaun Marsh, Kumar Sangakkara, Hashim Amla, Glenn Maxwell, and others. But somehow, they kept disappointing season after season.
Back in 2014, PBKS made their way through to the final. However, they lost to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Wriddhiman Saha, who is currently with the Gujarat Titans (GT), scored a hundred, but to no avail. Since that season, Punjab have never taken part in the playoffs.
Contents
Every captain of Punjab Kings: PBKS skippers
| Player | Span |
| Yuvraj Singh | 2008-2009 |
| Kumar Sangakkara | 2010 |
| Mahela Jayawardene | 2010 |
| Adam Gilchrist | 2011-2013 |
| David Hussey | 2012-2013 |
| George Bailey | 2014-2015 |
| Virender Sehwag | 2015 |
| David Miller | 2016 |
| Murali Vijay | 2016 |
| Glenn Maxwell | 2017 |
| Ravi Ashwin | 2018-2019 |
| KL Rahul | 2020-2021 |
| Mayank Agarwal | 2021-2022 |
| Shikhar Dhawan | 2022-2024 |
| Sam Curran | 2023-2024 |
Yuvraj Singh
Yuvraj Singh was the first captain of the Kings in the IPL and he led the team for 2 seasons. In 29 matches, the veteran captained PBKS to wins in 17 matches and lost 12 of them. Yuvraj went on to play 132 matches in the IPL, scoring 2750 runs and picking up 36 wickets.
Kumar Sangakkara
Kumar Sangakkara, one of the greatest cricketers Sri Lanka have ever produced, did not have the best of times as the skipper of the Kings. In the 13 games that he led in 2010, Punjab lost 9 while managing to win only 3 of them.
Mahela Jayawardene
Mahela Jayawardene captained the Kings only once back in 2010 and tasted defeat. The veteran, however, was effective as a batter as he scored 1802 runs from 80 balls with a hundred and 10 half-centuries. The 2013 edition was Jayawardene’s last in the IPL.
Adam Gilchrist
Adam Gilchrist, who led the Deccan Chargers to their maiden title in 2009, also played a crucial role for the Kings in the IPL. He captained PBKS in 34 matches and led them to wins in 17 of them while losing 17. He was lethal as a batter took down quality bowling attacks.
David Hussey
David Hussey, brother of the legendary Michael Hussey, captained the Kings in 12 matches in 2012 and 2013. Out of them, PBKS won 6 games and lost as many. Apart from his stint with PBKS, Hussey also played for the Knight Riders.
George Bailey
George Bailey led the Kings in 35 matches in 2014 and 2015. It was under his leadership that PBKS played the final in 2014. Bailey led Punjab to wins in 18 games while losing 17. Bailey was also a reliable batter for them in the middle order.
Virender Sehwag
Virender Sehwag captained Punjab in 1 game back in 2015 and finished on the winning side. In a game that went down to the wire, PBKS beat Rajasthan Royals in the one-over eliminator after both teams scored 191 for 6 in their respective 20 overs.
David Miller
David Miller had a horrendous time as the skipper of the Kings in the IPL. Under his leadership, PBKS won 1 out of 6 matches. He played some match-winning knocks for them in the middle order, but was not successful as their captain by any means.
Murali Vijay
Murali Vijay also had a tough time while captaining the Kings in the tournament. He led PBKS in 8 matches in 2016 out of which his team won 3 and lost 5. While his journey with the Kings was not pleasant, he tasted success for the Chennai Super Kings.
Nothing beats the post-game catch-ups after a hard fought battle! 🫶
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) April 19, 2024
Hosting you was a delight, @mipaltan ❤️💙#SaddaPunjab #PunjabKings #JazbaHaiPunjabi #TATAIPL2024 #PBKSvMI pic.twitter.com/4y2M4nBDXv
Glenn Maxwell
Glenn Maxwell had a topsy-turvy run as the skipper of the Kings in the IPL. In 14 games, Maxwell could only fetch wins in 7 of them while losing 7. Maxwell remains one of the fiercest strikers of the cricket ball, having played match-winning hands for Australia and in franchise cricket.
Ravi Ashwin
Ravi Ashwin captained the Kings back in the 2018 and 2019 editions of the T20 league. In 2018, he was named as the skipper of the PBKS team. In both seasons, they started with a bang, but fell away gradually. After 2019, Ashwin moved to playing for the Delhi Capitals.
KL Rahul
KL Rahul joined the Punjab team in 2018 and hit the then fastest fifty in the history of the tournament. From there on, he emerged as one of their key batters. In 27 matches, Rahul led Punjab to wins in 11 matches while losing 14. In 2022, Rahul moved to the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and is currently their captain.
Mayank Agarwal
Mayank Agarwal captained the Kings in 14 matches. Out of them, PBKS won 7 times while they lost 7 games. He was also a key batter for them at the top of the order. Mayank is currently a part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad. The veteran has played 126 matches and has racked up over 2600 runs with a hundred and 13 fifties to show for his efforts.
Shikhar Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan took charge of the Punjab team in 2022 and has had his troubles. Out of 17 matches that he has captained, Dhawan has only guided his team to wins in 6 matches while losing 11 of them. Dhawan is among the leading run-scorers in the history of the IPL and even into his late 30s, he remains a prolific run-scorer.
Players with the highest strike rate in IPL history
Sam Curran
After the T20 World Cup 2022, Punjab shelled out INR 18.5 crore for Sam Curran, who was then most expensive buy in IPL history. He played a critical role in England winning the mega event and PBKS was quick to pounce on him.
In the first season, he struggled a bit with the ball, although he was decent enough with the bat. However, Punjab did not lose faith in him. In 4 matches that he has captained PBKS, Curran has won 2 and lost 2.
