After making astute and audacious decisions at the auction table, former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan claims that Punjab Kings are now “moving in the right direction” and that their protracted quest for an Indian Premier League (IPL) title is coming to an end.
Speaking on “IPL Today Live,” Pathan attributed Punjab’s comeback to their improved squad-building and leadership clarity. Last season, Punjab placed second after losing to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in a close final.
“Leadership has played a huge role in Punjab’s turnaround. You win half the IPL at the auction table. Big purses don’t necessarily mean you will always get what you want, but they did, and they reached the final,” he said.
Pathan noted that the team has not hesitated to make difficult decisions, such as cutting underperforming players like Glenn Maxwell while bolstering their bench.
“They took bold but important calls… and now you see all-rounders like Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen and Marcus Stoinis, along with a young Indian batting core. They also went all-out for Shreyas Iyer after deciding he would be the captain. There is clarity of thought, and I feel Punjab have started to move in the right direction,” he said.
Pathan also considered the Delhi Capitals’ prior difficulties, especially in spotting and developing talent.
“When you let go of players like AB de Villiers, and you had Andre Russell, starting from scratch is not easy. There were discussions about giving Russell more opportunities, but they just couldn’t find a place for him consistently. Identification of talent is very important, and I feel Delhi used to fall short in that area,” he said.
