3 PBKS players who can be the IPL 2023 MVP

Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Punjab Kings (PBKS) have been one of the biggest under-performers in the history of the cash-rich league. The closest they came to winning the title was in 2014 when they lost to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the final.

However, they have built a strong squad for IPL 2023, having secured the services of England all-rounder Sam Curran and Zimbabwe's Sikandar Raza. They will hope to fight for the trophy this time around and go all the way in the competition.

PBKS boast quite a few players who can challenge for the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. The MVP in the IPL is a cricketer who earns the most points on the MVP Chart.

There is a special rating system, under which cricketers earn points for fours, sixes, wickets, catches, dot balls, and stumpings. For every four, the player gets 2.5 points, while a maximum earns him 3.5 points.

A catch or a stumping equals 2.5 points, and a wicket gets the player 3.5 points. The bowler earns one point for every dot ball bowled. The leader of the standings at the end of the tournament takes the IPL Most Valuable Player trophy home.

On that note, let's take a look at three PBKS players who can win the MVP award in IPL 2023.

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#1 Shikhar Dhawan

Senior batter Shikhar Dhawan has been one of the most consistent players in the IPL. He is the second-highest run-scorer in the history of the competition, amassing 6244 runs in 206 games, including a couple of centuries and 47 fifties.

The southpaw was in stellar form in his debut season with PBKS last year, smashing 460 runs in 14 games at an average of 38.33.

Dhawan has been bestowed with the additional responsibility of leading the side in IPL 2023 after the franchise parted ways with Mayank Agarwal. The PBKS batter is known to thrive under pressure and if he maintains his form, Dhawan will be a serious contender to win the MVP award this season.

He will also look to use the upcoming season to make a point in front of selectors ahead of the ODI World Cup on home soil later this year.

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#2 Sam Curran

England all-rounder Sam Curran shattered all records when he earned a pay cheque of ₹18.50 crore at the IPL 2023 auction that took place in Kochi in December 2022.

Curran has been in spectacular form of late, having played a crucial role in England's T20 World Cup-winning campaign in Australia last year. He won the Player of the Match award in the final against Pakistan and was also adjudged the Player of the Tournament.

Given his ability to bat and ball in all phases of the match, Curran is expected to play a key role for PBKS in IPL 2023. If he can replicate his international performances in the IPL, the young cricketer might well win the MVP award.

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#3 Liam Livingstone

Liam Livingstone is one of the fiercest hitters of the cricket ball and can tear apart any bowling attack on a given day. He has been one of England's in-form batters of late.

Livingstone proved his credentials last season, amassing 437 runs in 14 games at a staggering strike rate of 182.08. He hit 34 sixes and 29 boundaries in IPL 2022. The 29-year-old is also a tricky customer with the ball and has a happy knack for providing breakthroughs in the middle overs.

The English all-rounder will be a key figure in the PBKS lineup and if Livingstone can fire all cylinders, he will certainly be one of the front-runners to win the MVP award in IPL 2023.

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