Punjab Kings (PBKS) entered the Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) auction with the highest purse available and made the most purchases, completely filling their 25-player squad. The PBKS management got a large number of players including experienced Indian and foreign cricketers and young talents.

PBKS is one of the few franchises that has not yet won the title and will hope to break the curse after renewing its entire team. However, with so many players available at his disposal, it could be extremely difficult for some of them to break into the playing eleven in some specific positions.

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In this article, we pick out three such PBKS players who could be warming the bench primarily during the IPL 2025 season.

Aaron Hardy

PBKS picked up Aaron Hardie for his base price of INR 1.25 crore. A versatile bowling all-rounder, he has the skills to be a consistent starter for any IPL team. In his T20I career for Australia, Hardie scored 128 runs and claimed 10 wickets in 13 matches.

Despite his talent, the 25-year-old faces tough competition within a team that includes three established bowlers in Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen and Azmatullah Omarzai. Given the significant investment to acquire Stoinis and Jansen, it seems unlikely they will be sidelined to accommodate Hardie. Furthermore, Omarzai’s experience in both international and IPL cricket could put him ahead of Hardie in the team’s selection hierarchy.

Vishnu Vinod

Kerala wicketkeeper-batsman Vishnu Vinod was acquired by Punjab Kings for INR 75 lakhs during the IPL 2025 mega auction. Vinod boasts of a T20 career spanning 67 matches, where he amassed 1620 runs in 63 innings at an average of 31, 15. His achievements include one century and eight half-centuries.

Despite his experience, the 31-year-old may face challenges breaking into Punjab Kings’ playing XI for IPL 2025 due to the presence of established and first-choice goalkeeper Prabhsimran Singh. Furthermore, Vishnu’s recent form with the bat has also been disappointing.

Xavier Bartlett

Australian pacer Xavier Bartlett, who made his international debut in both T20Is and ODIs earlier this year, joined PBKS for INR 80 Lakhs. Prior to his international career, the 25-year-old featured in 55 T20 matches in domestic competitions and various franchise leagues.

However, integrating Bartlett into the PBKS bowling line-up could be a challenge for the team management given the presence of prominent pacers like Arshdeep Singh, Lockie Ferguson and all-rounder Marcus Stoinis.

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