David Miller was picked by KXIP through RTM card. (Source: BCCI)
Kings XI Punjab have been perpetual underperformers in the IPL but they have had a good round of auctions this year. Yuvraj Singh is making a comeback to the side while Chris Gayle, who wasn’t retained by RCB and had gone unsold twice in the auctions, has also been acquired by KXIP. Gayle and Yuvraj have shared a dressing room previously when they donned the RCB kits. Moreover, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, batsman KL Rahul and Australia fast bowler Andrew Tye also made headlines after they were bought by the Punjab franchise. KXIP earlier retained Axar Patel while got David Miller, Marcus Stoinis and Mohit Sharma through RTM cards.
Strength
When you talk about Kings XI Punjab’s strength, you have plenty to talk about. Yuvraj Singh, Manoj Tiwary, David Miller, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Aaron Finch and Mayank Agarwal. KXIP has a batting line up that can thrash any bowling setup on their day. Chris Gayle, considering his erratic performances over the past couple of years, is a gamble but a very useful addition to the squad. As far as experience is concerned Kings XI Punjab have it in plenty.
While they have a compact batting line up, the bowling unit looks pretty stable with the likes of Mohit Sharma, Andrew Tye, Barinder Sran, Axar Patel and Ankit Rajpoot. Yuvraj and Gayle can also chip in with a couple of overs if the situation demands.
Smart buy
As stated before, Chris Gayle no longer is the machine that can spoil any bowler’s average. His performances have been erratic but he remains one to watch out for and a big wicket to take for the opposition. KXIP chose the perfect time to rope in the left-hander in the side.
Limitations
Like all other sides, KXIP will face the same dilemma of whom to play and whom to bench. With only four overseas players allowed in the XI, Punjab would seek to create a balanced XI everytime they step out on the ground.
Kings XI Punjab squad: Axar Patel, Ashwin, Yuvraj, Karun Nair, KL Rahul, Gayle, Miller, Finch, Stoinis, Mayank Agarwal, Ankit Rajpoot, Manoj Tiwary, Mohit Sharma, Mujeeb Zadran, Sran, Tye, Akshdeep Nath, Dwarshuis, Pardeep Sahu, Mayank Dagar, Manzoor Dar
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