3 players PBKS have underutilized in IPL 2023

Following their loss at the hands of the Delhi Capitals (DC) at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala, the Punjab Kings (PBKS) now find their IPL 2023 playoff hopes hanging by a thread.

The Shikhar Dhawan-led side bled too many runs and despite Liam Livingstone's superb 94-run knock, they failed to chase down a target of 214.

The Kings will now have to defeat the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their final league fixture at the same venue on Friday, May 19, while hoping for plenty of other results to go their way.

Throughout their IPL 2023 campaign, PBKS have been guilty of erring with some fundamental decisions. This aside, they've also not utilized some of their players to the best extent which could have seen them positioned better as far as making the playoffs is concerned on another occasion.

With this in mind, let's look at three players who PBKS have underutilized so far in IPL 2023:

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#3 Nathan Ellis

Nathan Ellis has played nine matches in IPL 2023 so far, bagging 12 wickets at an economy rate of 8.97, which is definitely acceptable for someone who largely bowls at the death. However, there have been instances where his non-selection has raised many an eyebrow.

Despite Ellis taking the Player of the Match honors against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Guwahati, he was left out for Kagiso Rabada after a wicketless outing against SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH). Rabada bowled well in his second outing against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Lucknow, although it was a surface that warranted the skillset of Ellis' variations and slower deliveries.

Ellis was brought back for Rabada after that match but was left out of the reverse fixture against LSG on a batting paradise in Mohali, before also not being included against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Chennai. Rabada went for plenty in both those games and PBKS eventually reverted to the Australian again.

Ellis has played every match since then in IPL 2023, although one feels that the team has shown a lack of clarity in choosing between him and Rabada. Given how Ellis started the season, they ought to have persisted with him regularly and used him better.

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#2 Harpreet Brar

One might argue that he was overused in the match against Delhi Capitals (DC) in Dharamsala, but there have been numerous instances of Harpreet Brar being underutilized by PBKS in IPL 2023.

If Brar bowling just two overs on a sluggish surface in Lucknow was strange, his horse-for-course selection for the game in Chennai only to not be called upon at all was incredibly bizarre. So much so that Liam Livingstone was thrown the ball ahead of him against a well-set Devon Conway.

The contest at Eden Gardens against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) also saw Brar given a solitary over where he picked up a wicket, only to be shielded against the left-handed duo of Nitish Rana and Venkatesh Iyer.

He is a far better bowler than one who needs to be shielded and while he wasn't held back when he ought to have been against DC, his usage (or lack thereof) on multiple other instances in IPL 2023 has been baffling.

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#1 Sikandar Raza

How have PBKS not made Sikandar Raza a sure starter in their playing XI in IPL 2023 is hard to explain. After he orchestrated a tricky chase in Lucknow en route to the Player of the Match award, he was surprisingly left out of the side against RCB with Liam Livingstone returning.

While Livingstone's return to the playing XI was a no-brainer, one reckoned Matthew Short ought to have made way instead. On another tacky surface, the Kings missed Raza's services as a good player of spin and someone who often stands tall under pressure.

He returned to the XI soon and scored the winning runs against CSK off the last delivery but yet again, found himself on the sidelines as Short and then Bhanuka Rajapaksa were preferred.

In a batting lineup that needed another proficient player of spin, it has been hard to understand how the PBKS think-tank didn't have Raza as a lock-in, especially for the form that he showed.

Unsurprisingly, this has transferred pressure on Jitesh Sharma and Sam Curran to take on spin in his absence. It has come off at times and on others, not quite so. But should PBKS not make the playoffs of IPL 2023, they will look back at how they could have made full use of Raza's match-winning ability.

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Which other player do you think PBKS haven't used too well in IPL 2023? Have your say in the comments section below!

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