The Punjab Kings, previously known as Kings XI Punjab, are a professional franchise cricket team based in Mullanpur, Mohali, Punjab, that participates in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The franchise is jointly owned by Mohit Burman, Ness Wadia, Preity Zinta, and Karan Paul. The team played its home matches at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, although since 2010, they have also hosted some home games at Dharamsala and Indore.

In the 16 seasons of the IPL, the franchise has made only two playoff appearances, finishing as runners-up in 2014 and making one other playoff appearance. The team also participated in the now-defunct Champions League Twenty20 in 2014, finishing as semi-finalists.The franchise was established in 2008 when the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) created the IPL. The team representing Punjab was bought by the Dabur group's Mohit Burman, the Wadia group's Ness Wadia, Preity Zinta, and Saptarshi Dey for a total of $76 million.

In the 2008 inaugural season, the team reached the semi-finals, powered by a balanced bowling lineup and effective top order. Shaun Marsh was their standout player, finishing as the Orange Cap holder with the most runs across the competition.

As Kings XI Punjab emerged as semi-finalists in 2008, their goal was to take home the trophy in 2009. Emirates, their new sponsors, provided help for these.

After suffering crushing losses to the Delhi Daredevils and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the team bounced back with victories over the Royal Challengers, Rajasthan Royals, and Mumbai Indians. After that, the team's next eight games were a roller coaster, with four wins and four defeats. After losing to the Chennai Super Kings in their most recent game, the team's dreams of making the semi-finals were dashed.

While losing six games to the Delhi Daredevils, Deccan Chargers, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Mumbai Indians, they were last in the 2010 IPL standings.

When they had a complete squad, led by captain Adam Gilchrist and coach Michael Bevan, the 2011 Indian Premier League season appeared bright but by two points, Kings XI Punjab was unable to advance to the playoffs. This indicated that they placed fifth in the standings.

They finished at the sixth place in the year 2012.

In 2013, Although their batsman David Miller delivered one of the tournament's best innings in the 51st match against the Royal Challengers Bangalore, smashing 101 off 38 deliveries with eight fours and seven sixes, Kings XI Punjab was unable to advance to the play-offs.

The 2014 season was the franchise's most successful campaign, as they qualified for the final under captain George Bailey. However, they lost the final to the Kolkata Knight Riders. In 2014, Kings XI Punjab also qualified for the Champions League Twenty20, where they reached the semi-finals before being eliminated by their IPL rivals, the Chennai Super Kings.

Throughout 2015, George Bailey remained the team's captain. The team finished eighth in the league after winning just three of their 14 games. With 357 runs, David Miller was the season's top scorer.

The team's captains for the first and second halves of the 2016 season were David Miller and Murali Vijay, respectively. With just four wins, the club once again finished eighth. With 453 runs scored, Murali Vijay was the top scorer.

After the squad finished bottom in the league two straight times, Virender Sehwag took over as head coach in an attempt to turn things around. The skipper was named Glenn Maxwell. Hashim Amla, Darren Sammy, and Eoin Morgan joined players like David Miller on the team. After winning seven of their 14 games, the club finished the season in fifth position, missing out on a spot in the playoffs due to a loss to the Rising Pune Supergiant in their final game.

Players like Chris Gayle, Yuvraj Singh, KL Rahul, Aaron Finch, and Ravichandran Ashwin were part of the Kings XI Punjab team for the 2018 Indian Premier League. Brad Hodge was named coach and Ashwin the captain. With KL Rahul leading KXIP over the Daredevils with a brilliant fifty off just 14 balls, the tournament got off to a great start.

KXIP retained players for the 2019 IPL season including KL Rahul, Chris Gayle, Andrew Tye, Mayank Agarwal, Ankit Rajpoot, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Karun Nair, David Miller, and Ravichandran Ashwin. On auction day (18 December 2018), KXIP acquired 13 new players. Kings XI Punjab finished sixth in the league table, with KL Rahul emerging as their top scorer with 593 runs in 14 matches.

In the 2020 season, under the captaincy of KL Rahul, the team showed signs of improvement but narrowly missed out on a playoff spot, finishing sixth in the league.

On February 17, 2021, Kings XI Punjab was renamed to Punjab Kings, to rebrand after 13 seasons without a title win but unfortunately again finished at the sixth position.

The 2022 season saw a change in captaincy, with Mayank Agarwal taking over from Rahul. The team finished sixth again.

In the December 2022 mini-auction, the franchise made the then-highest-ever bid for a player in the IPL, paying ₹18.50 crore (US$2.3 million) for Sam Curran.

The 2023 season saw another change in captaincy, with Shikhar Dhawan taking over as the team's leader. Sam Curran briefly served as stand-in captain for a few matches.Throughout history, the franchise has faced criticism for its lack of consistent performance and inability to win a title despite boasting talented squads at various points. However, the team's supporters remain hopeful for a turnaround in fortunes.

The Punjab Kings have had several notable players over the years, including Yuvraj Singh, Kumar Sangakkara, Adam Gilchrist, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, David Miller, KL Rahul, Chris Gayle, Mohammad Shami, and Sam Curran.

The franchise has had several captains over the years, including Yuvraj Singh, Kumar Sangakkara, Adam Gilchrist, George Bailey, Glenn Maxwell, Ravichandran Ashwin, KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, and Shikhar Dhawan.

While the franchise's journey has been marked by ups and downs, its impact on the IPL and its fanbase in Punjab and neighboring regions cannot be denied. As the team continues its pursuit of its maiden IPL title, the future remains uncertain, but the hope for success burns brightly among its passionate supporters.