As the 2021 edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) draws closer, cricket fans and experts are busy picking their best playing XI for each of the eight franchises.

On Monday (April 5), former India cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra named his ideal playing XI for Punjab Kings (PBKS).

See Also: Aakash Chopra reveals his KKR XI for IPL 14; no place for Harbhajan Singh

Despite the success of KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal as opening pair in the IPL 2020, Chopra opted to go with the duo of Rahul and Chris Gayle at the top of the order while he slotted Agarwal at No. 3 position.

Last year, Rahul and Agarwal started as openers for Punjab but an injury to the latter made way for Gayle to take the opening slot and the West Indian swashbuckler didn’t disappoint either with the bat.

According to Aakash, Moises Henriques should feature in PBKS’s playing XI as the Australia all-rounder’s presence will bolster the middle-order.

"I will be going with KL Rahul and Gayle as the openers, Mayank Agarwal at No.3, Pooran at No.4, Hooda at No.5, and Moises Henriques at No.6. You should please play Henriques as he will add that balance to your side," Chopra said in a video posted on his Youtube channel.

"At No.7, you can have anyone. You can play Shahrukh, Mandeep, or Sarfaraz - whoever you play it won't make any difference. But if you have this kind of batting, you can play with a lot of freedom, something that they should do this season," he added.

Interestingly, Aakash Chopra didn’t mention Australian pacer Riley Meredith in his line-up for Punjab Kings.

Notably, Meredith was roped in by PBKS for INR 8 crore and he was the most expensive uncapped overseas player at the IPL 2021 auction.

"Then four bowlers - Ashwin, Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami, and Jhye Richardson. This will be my team, if you feel that you need to play one less spinner, you have Arshdeep as an option available," said Chopra.

Punjab Kings will open their IPL 2021 campaign against Rajasthan Royals on April 12 in Mumbai.