New Delhi: Azamatullah Omarzai, the ICC ODI Player of the Year, has not yet reported for duty at the Punjab Kings training camp ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League. The Afghanistan all-rounder’s arrival in India has been delayed due to personal reasons.
The overseas players of Punjab Kings have started arriving from Monday onwards but Omarzai, due to reasons that are unknown till now, will only be able to join the squad on May 20, Thursday. The Punjab-based franchise will open their campaign against Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on March 25.
The 2025 season will mark the beginning of a new era at the Punjab Kings under the captaincy of captain Shreyas Iyer and the leadership of head coach Ricky Ponting’s journey at Punjab Kings. Ponting has already linked up with the team in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh.
𝑮𝒂𝒏𝒈 𝒍𝒆𝒌𝒂𝒓 𝒂𝒂𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒍𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒕𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒈𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓…
𝑾𝒐𝒉 𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒍𝒂 𝒂𝒂𝒕𝒂 𝒕𝒉𝒂, 𝑷𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓! 🔥#RickyPonting #PunjabKings #IPL2025 pic.twitter.com/tJPoIvIiTr— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) March 14, 2025
Indian bunch including Yuzvendra Chahal, star pacer Arshdeep Singh and skipper Iyer have reached Chandigarh where the Kings will play three home games this season. The Indian players, who were part of the Champions Trophy winning squad, were given a week off post the victory in Dubai.
𝙁-𝙄𝙔𝙀𝙍 checked in! 🦁🔥#ShreyasIyer #IPL2025 #PunjabKings pic.twitter.com/CVr5KFjnkx
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) March 17, 2025
“Omarzai has some issue at home. He will be in India by May 20. The rest of the foreign players start trickling in from today,” said an IPL source.
After leading KKR to the title win last season, Iyer has been given the responsibility to deliver the goods at Punjab Kings, the perennial underperformers of the IPL.
PBKS boasts a strong bunch of all-rounders including Marco Jansen, Omarzai, Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell.
Nathan Ellis yet to link up with CSK
Meanwhile, Chennai Super Kings CEO Kasi Viswanathan confirmed on Monday that Australian pacer Nathan Ellis is the only overseas recruit yet to join the team.
“All others including Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway are here. Nathan will join soon,” he said.
Among the Indian stars, Ravindra Jadeja has joined the team while recently retired R Ashwin, who returns to the five-time champions after a decade, has also linked up with the squad.
Elsewhere at Gujarat Titans, skipper Shubman Gill joined the squad on Sunday night but New Zealand batter Glenn Phillips is yet to arrive.
IPL 2025: Punjab Kings boasts a strong bunch of all-rounders including Marco Jansen, Azamatullah Omarzai, Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
