Indian all-rounder Krishnappa Gowtham has made a shocking statement right before the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction, saying that he won’t be able to give his best if he’s picked by Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the auction. Gowtham – who played for PBKS in 2020 – made his feelings firm about the franchise who have the biggest budget heading into the auction. In what could be a blow to Punjab Kings’ reputation, Gowtham said that he did not enjoy playing for the Preity Zinta-owned franchise.

An off-spinner with the ability to make explosive runs lower down the order, Gowtham has been released by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) ahead of the mega auction.

“When I play for a team, I always give more than 100 percent on the field. I never keep anything back. But I wouldn’t give more than 100 percent to Punjab Kings if they pick me,” said Gowtham in an interview to Cricket.com.

Gowtham candidly admitted that he would really not wish to play for Punjab Kings again.

“I’m just being very honest. Reason being, I’ve never had a good experience with them. It’s not just about cricket, there are other things as well. It’s not the way I would want to be treated as a cricketer,” Gowtham said, in his explosive revelation about the Punjab Kings.

Perennial underachievers in the IPL, having reached the playoffs only twice in 17 years, Punjab Kings have a whopping purse of INR 110.5 crore heading into the mega auction. They have retained only two uncapped players, in the form of Shashank Singh and Prabhsimran Singh.

PBKS are famously co-owned by actor Preity Zinta and businessman Ness Wadia.

After bursting on the scene for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2018, where he scored 126 runs and picked up 11 wickets, Gowtham went to Chennai Super Kings for a whopping Rs 9.25 cr in IPL 2021. However, he has played only 12 games in the previous three seasons for LSG.