Mitchell Owen brings the form of PSL to IPL, Golden Duck Records in Punjab Kings

Dream debuts are hard to come by. And Mitchell Owen knows that now. The 23-year-old recorded a 2-ball duck on his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut. Less than 4 months ago, he was riding high. Opening for the Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League (BBL) Final against Sydney Hundred, Owen scored a 42-ball 108 to singlehandedly win the trophy match for his team.

Standing at 6’4, Owen impressed with the kind of easy power he had. But that wasn’t the case before. He started as a bowler and only recently transitioned into a ‘hitter’. Yep, that’s what he is. He isn’t a proper batter. And his below-30 average across formats shows that. He hasn’t even played 70 matches, franchise and domestic cricket combined.

PSL form & IPL debut

But that hundred changed his career. Soon, he earned himself a Pakistan Super League (PSL) gig with Peshawar Zalmi. But the dream didn’t last long. After 8 matches in PSL 2025, Owen scored just 102 at 14.57. His strike rate of 192.45 was irrelevant as he faced just 7.57 balls per match.

Owen hoped to turn it around as he replaces Josh Inglis for Punjab Kings (PBKS). But that didn’t happen on his IPL debut. Coming in at number three, he placed an ugly shot to Kwena Maphaka to depart for a duck. No one knows whether he’ll play another match for PBKS this season as Inglis returns soon, but his performance, given his PSL form, isn’t exactly shocking.

And there is a big gulf between PSL and IPL when it comes to quality. If he couldn’t find success in Pakistan, then it isn’t exactly a shock that he hasn’t succeeded in India.