PBKS All Captains List: How Many Players Have Captained Punjab Kings in IPL?

Punjab Kings are one of the most popular T20 franchises on the planet. Introduced as Kings XI Punjab in the inaugural season, the franchise changed its identity later in 2021. Meanwhile, over the years, they have earned themselves a tag of underachievers in the marquee league.

Punjab Kings are one of the only three sides from the 2008 season that hasn’t won the IPL championship yet. Over the seasons, many legendary players have represented the team and a few of them have also got the chance to lead. However, none of them has been able to bring glory to the Kings in the North. Here we will list every player who has captained Punjab Kings from 2008 to 2022.

In this article, we will take a look at PBKS’s all-captains in IPL history:

Yuvraj Singh (2008-2009)

One of India’s most favourite sons, Yuvraj Singh was chosen as the Punjab Kings’ icon player and captain in the inaugural season. The team performed really well under him and finished 2nd in the points table. However, his team failed to reach the final after losing the semifinal game.

The team’s form dipped a bit in the 2nd season but they still performed decently. However, Punjab Kings failed to qualify for the semifinals after finishing 5th in the points table. The franchise didn’t continue with the World Cup winner the following season.

Kumar Sangakkara (2010)

The legendary Sri Lankan wicketkeeper was appointed the next skipper of the Punjab Kings in the 2010 season. However, the franchise endured a horrible season as they finished at the bottom of the points table with only 3 wins in 13 games under Sangakkara. Subsequently, he was axed from the captaincy.

Mahela Jayawardene (2010)

In 2010, another legendary Sri Lankan was present in Punjab Kings’ squad and he was appointed the deputy to his countryman. In Sangakkara’s absence, Mahela Jayawardene led the franchise in one game only, and they lost that game.

Adam Gilchrist (2011-2013)

The Mohali-based franchise signed the Australian wicketkeeper-batter Adam Gilchrist ahead of the IPL 2011 and handed him over the captaincy. However, the destructive opener failed to change the fortunes of the struggling franchise.

Under Gilly’s captaincy, Punjab Kings finished 5th, 6th, and 6th, in the IPL 2011, 2012, and 2013, respectively. Across three seasons, Adam Gilchrist lead the franchise in 34 matches. He had a winning percentage of 50 with 17 wins and 17 losses.

David Hussey (2012-2013)

The Australian all-rounder David Hussey filled in for the captaincy duties in the absence of Adam Gilchrist during the IPL 2012 and 2013. He got the opportunity to lead the team 12 times, in which the Kings won 6 games while losing another six.

George Bailey (2014-2015)

Making the drastic changes to the squad, Punjab Kings roped in another Australian George Bailey as the skipper. The team looked invincible during the 2014 season and they had their best-ever run in the league by reaching the final. However, they were left heartbroken after losing the summit clash to Kolkata Knight Riders.

In 2015, George Bailey returned to lead the franchise for the 2nd year but Punjab Kings failed to keep up the momentum. They hit the rock bottom after winning only 3 games in 13 matches under the Aussie and finished at the last position in the league standings.

Virender Sehwag (2015)

The destructive Indian opener got the opportunity to lead Punjab Kings only once in the absence of George Bailey. Interestingly, that game ended up as a tie and the Kings managed to win that game in the Super Over.

David Miller (2016)

The Killer-Miller, as he is fondly known among the Punjab Kings fans, was promoted as the skipper for the IPL 2016. However, Punjab Kings won only a single game out of six under the South African southpaw. Moreover, his form with the bat wasn’t inspiring enough, therefore, he was removed as the captain mid-season.

Murali Vijay (2016)

After sacking David Miller, the franchise went to the Indian option in Murali Vijay as the next skipper. However, the former Indian opener could not do much about Punjab Kings’ misery as they won only 3 games out of 8 under his captaincy. Punjab Kings finished at the bottom of the points table for the 2nd consecutive season.

Glenn Maxwell (2017)

In the IPL 2017, Punjab Kings placed their next bet on the destructive all-rounder from Australia, Glenn Maxwell. He did a decent job compared to his predecessors. Under Maxwell’s leadership, Punjab Kings registered 7 wins and 7 losses in 14 league matches. However, they failed to qualify for the playoffs narrowly after finishing 5th in the points table.

Ravichandran Ashwin (2018-2019)

In the mega auctions ahead of the IPL 2018, Punjab Kings signed the witty off-spinner Ravi Ashwin and appointed him as the next skipper of the franchise. However, the same story repeated for the Kings in both seasons and nothing was changed.

In both seasons, Punjab Kings started strongly but stumbled during the midseason. In the two seasons under R Ashwin’s captaincy, Punjab Kings finished 7th and 6th, respectively. In 28 games across two seasons, the team registered only 12 wins. Hence, the team management let Ashwin go after the IPL 2019.

Read More: RCB All Captains List: How Many Players Have Captained Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL?

KL Rahul (2020-2021)

KL Rahul was the new addition to the prolonged list of Punjab Kings’ captains as the franchise signed the stylish batter ahead of the IPL 2022. While the Karnataka lad contributed heavily with his willow, he failed to inspire his team to qualify for the playoffs.

The history kept repeating itself as the team faltered after a solid start during the IPL 2020 and 2021. Punjab Kings finished 6th during both seasons under the leadership of KL Rahul. Ahead of the IPL 2022, KLR ended his relationship with the Kings and signed with the new entrants Lucknow Super Giants.

Mayank Agarwal (2021-2022)

KL Rahul’s buddy Mayank Agarwal served as his deputy for Punjab Kings. He got the chance to lead the side during the IPL 2021, in which the team had to face a loss. However, after KL Rahul was released, the team kept faith in Mayank and promoted him as the regular skipper of the franchise in 2022.

The team blew hot and cold during the IPL 2022 as they failed to qualify for the playoffs by a whisker. Under Mayank Agarwal, Punjab Kings played an aggressive brand of cricket and finished 6th in the points table with 7 wins and 7 losses after 14 matches.

Shikhar Dhawan (2022-Present)

The left-handed southpaw led Punjab Kings only for a single game during the IPL 2022 in the absence of Mayank Agarwal. Unfortunately, the team had to face a defeat in that fixture.

Read More: CSK All Captains List: How Many Players Have Captained Chennai Super Kings in IPL?