The Punjab-based franchise had on and off spells during the 2020 Indian Premier League which was a fair reflection of the journey of Kings XI Punjab (as it was formerly known) during its 13-year journey in the IPL.
The Kings qualified for the semi-final in the inaugural season followed by five consecutive seasons of finishing in the bottom half of the table. A resurgence in IPL 7 saw them miss out on lifting the trophy in the last over of the final which was once again followed by two consecutive bottom-of-the-table finishes and five more seasons in total without an appearance in the playoffs stage.
The rebranded Punjab Kings would be hoping to shake off the bad omens as they go into the season with a different name and many new players. While the core of the squad remains the same with KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Mohammed Shami, Chris Jordan, Murugan Ashwin, and Ravi Bishnoi staying with the club.
A total of 31 crores and 45 lakhs of rupees have been spent on the quartet of Jhye Richardson (14 Cr), Riley Meredith (8 Cr), Shahrukh Khan (5.25 Cr), and Moises Henriques (4.2 Cr). While the owners spent big, they also invested in the incredible talents of David Malan and Fabian Allen for their base price of 1.5 Cr and 0.75 Cr respectively.
Punjab starts their season against Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhade Stadium followed by matches against Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals in Mumbai before the team travels to Chennai.
The Kings face Sunrisers Hyderabad in an afternoon match before an encounter against defending champions Mumbai Indians at the spin-friendly Chepauk Stadium.
Tough challenges in Kolkata Knight Riders, last season’s runners-up Delhi Capitals, and Royal Challengers Bangalore (twice) await at the newly renovated Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
The Kings play five matches on the batting-friendly pitches of M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru with the duo of Rahul and Agarwal playing their local home ground and Gayle also more than familiar with playing in the ground after spending seven seasons with RCB.
Three of the next five fixtures are afternoon matches against Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, and Sunrisers Hyderabad with Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals also playing against the Kings in Bengaluru towards the business end of the league season.
Here is the full schedule of the KL Rahul-led team for the upcoming season
| Date | Opposition | Time | Venue |
| 12th April (Monday) | Rajasthan Royals | 7:30 p.m. | Wankhade Stadium, Mumbai |
| 16th April (Friday) | Chennai Super Kings | 7:30 p.m. | Wankhade Stadium, Mumbai |
| 18th April (Sunday) | Delhi Capitals | 7:30 p.m. | Wankhade Stadium, Mumbai |
| 21st April (Wednesday) | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 3:30 p.m. | Chepauk Stadium, Chennai |
| 23rd April (Friday) | Mumbai Indians | 7:30 p.m. | Chepauk Stadium, Chennai |
| 26th April (Monday) | Kolkata Knight Riders | 7:30 p.m. | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad |
| 30th April (Friday) | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 7:30 p.m. | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad |
| 2nd May (Sunday) | Delhi Capitals | 7:30 p.m. | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad |
| 6th May (Thursday) | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 7:30 p.m. | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad |
| 9th May (Sunday) | Chennai Super Kings | 3:30 p.m. | M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru |
| 13th May (Thursday) | Mumbai Indians | 3:30 p.m. | M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru |
| 15th May (Saturday) | Kolkata Knight Riders | 7:30 p.m. | M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru |
| 19th May (Wednesday) | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 3:30 p.m. | M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru |
| 22rd May (Saturday) | Rajasthan Royals | 7:30 p.m. | M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru |