Symbol of PBKS

Punjab Kings (PBKS)

• The Punjab Kings (PBKS) are a franchise cricket team based in Mohali, Punjab, that plays in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Established in 2008 as the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), the franchise is jointly owned by Mohit Burman, Ness Wadia, Preity Zinta and Karan Paul.
• The team plays its home matches at the PCA Stadium, Mohali. Since 2010, they also have been playing some of their home games at either Dharamsala or Indore. The Punjab Cricket Association Inderjit Singh Bindra Stadium is a cricket ground located in Mohali, Punjab. It is popularly referred to as the Mohali Stadium. The stadium was built by Geetanshu Kalra from Ambala City and is home to the Punjab team.

• The construction of the stadium took around ₹ 25 crore and 3 years to complete. The stadium has an official capacity of 26,950 spectators. The stadium was designed by Ar. Khizir and Associates, and constructed by R.S. Construction Company based in Chandigarh. PCA stadium is home of Punjab cricket team and Kings XI Punjab.
• The floodlights here are unconventional compared to other cricket stadiums, in that the light pillars are very low in height. This is to avoid aircraft from the nearby Chandigarh airport colliding with the light pillars. That is the reason behind the stadium having 16 floodlights.
• Apart from the 2014 season when they topped the league table and finished runners-up, the team has made only one other playoff appearance in 13 seasons. The Punjab Kings played in the now-defunct Champions League Twenty20 once, in 2014 as the Kings XI Punjab and finished as semi-finalists. The old name of Punjab Kings (PBKS) was Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) which was changed in 2021.

• In 2007, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) created the cricket tournament the Indian Premier League, based on the Twenty20 format of the game. Franchises for eight cities were made available in an auction held in Mumbai on 20 February 2008.
• The team representing Punjab was bought by the Dabur group’s Mohit Burman (46%), the Wadia group’s Ness Wadia (23%), Preity Zinta (23%), and Saptarshi Dey of the Dey & Dey Group (minor stake). The group paid a total of $76 million to acquire the franchise. As the Kings XI Punjab, the franchise’s catchment areas were the regions of Kashmir, Jammu, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana evident from the letter sequence “K J H P H” in the banner of the team’s logo.

Expulsion from the IPL and return:

• Following the controversy surrounding the BCCI and Lalit Modi in 2010, the Indian Premier League announced on 10 October 2010 that it had terminated the franchise contracts of Kings XI Punjab and the Rajasthan Royals. The teams announced that they would take legal action to remain in the Indian Premier League.
• Initially, the team tried to negotiate a solution with the league, but when one could not be reached, they decided to file a case in Mumbai High Court accusing the IPL of getting rid of the two teams so that when the bidding process would start for the 2012 IPL season, the contract would be given to a more lucrative bidder. Kings XI Punjab was reinstated with the involvement of the High Court.

Jersey of PBKS: Punjab Kings has left behind the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) image and are now looking for a new beginning, starting from IPL 2021. To keep in line with this approach, PBKS has adopted a new jersey colour combination. Unlike the previous All-Red shirt, this year, players will don a red and golden jersey.

• Punjab Kings had last month changed their name and the team’s crest. Unlike the previous logo, where there were two small lions, they now have one big lion with a golden and red crest around it. Yes, the KL Rahul-led side will take to the field with a new identity, Punjab Kings. “Punjab Kings is a more evolved brand name, and we understand it was a right time for us to move focus on the core brand itself.
• “The change in brand identity is not about changing our brand ethos but celebrating our one-ness as we stand in unit like a family. The new logo honors the liveliness and vibrancy of the brand and provides modern elements, while we stand out from rest of the teams,” PBKS CEO Satish Menon said.
• On 17 February 2021, Kings XI Punjab was renamed to Punjab Kings before the IPL 2021. Ness Wadia explained the reason for changing the franchise name to relook at things and rebrand after 13 seasons of IPL. He expressed his disappointment over the franchise not being able to win a title and expects them to start fresh after a name change. He added that the name change had been planned 2 years ago and Covid had just prolonged the announcement.

Standings of PBKS from 2008 to 2020:

• In 2020 season, Punjab kings started slow start but picked the pace as moving in the tournament but unable to qualify to playoffs due to losing their last match to CSK. But, In 2021 season as they changed name, logo, dress and came in new avatar with strong squad and looking to win their maiden title. Let’s see what happens in 2021 season.