IPL 2019 – Kings XI Punjab Team Preview

March 23, 2019 Dwayne Fernandes Cricket Scoops, Sports Scoops 0

  • Captain: Ravichandran Ashwin.
  • Coach: Mike Hesson.
  • Home Ground: Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Chandigarh.
  • IPL 2018 Result: 7th on points table.
  • Best Result: Runner-up in IPL 2014.

KINGS XI PUNJAB

  • Retained: KL Rahul, Chris Gayle, Andrew Tye, Mayank Agarwal, Ankit Rajpoot, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Karun Nair, David Miller and Ravichandran Ashwin.
  • Purchased: Moises Henriques, Nicholas Pooran, Varun Chakaravarthy, Sam Curran, Mohammad Shami, Sarfaraz Khan, Hardus Viljoen, Arshdeep Singh, Darshan Nalkande, Prabhsimran Singh, Agnivesh Ayachi, Harpreet Brar, Murugan Ashwin.
  • Released: Aaron Finch, Axar Patel, Mohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh, Barinder Sran, Ben Dwarshuis, Manoj Tiwary, Akshdeep Nath, Pardeep Sahu, Mayank Dagar and Manzoor Dar.

How can one not like the Kings XI Punjab? Even if you don’t like the players and team management, you have got to love their team owner, Preity Zinta. 11 editions of the Indian Premier League have taken place so far and Zinta has been there at each of them, cheering on her team, with flag in hand, bubbly as ever. Emotions change every ball with her but she has been very unlucky, with KXIP being one of three original IPL teams that are yet to lift the trophy.

IPL 2019 Kings XI Punjab team preview

What happened to KXIP last year? After 5 wins in their first 6 matches in IPL 2018, they went on to get just 1 win in their last 8 matches, missing the play-offs. While Ravi Ashwin is said to be a Test player, his captaincy was fantastic. No fingers being pointed there. Maybe however, they needed more contributions from the domestic players and less reliance on just 1-2 batsmen and 1-2 bowlers.

Chris Gayle (368 runs) and KL Rahul (659 runs) were the main batsmen last year and we expect the same to happen in IPL 2019. However, who will step up in these two are dismissed cheaply? Apart from Karun Nair and these two, no one else crossed 150 runs last season. Chris Gayle has been impeccable in recent weeks and is a 100% starter. Hopefully, trading in Mandeep Singh for Stoinis will bolster that Indian batting line-up.

With the ball too, it was an over-reliance on Andrew Tye (24 wickets) and Mujeeb Rahman (14) wickets and purchasing Mohammed Shami could reduce the burden on them as well. A humongous bid of INR 8.4 Crore was made for mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy and if he is as good as his price tag, the bowling department will be further strengthened. Overall, KXIP is looking a more balanced side for IPL 2019.

Kings XI Punjab Squad for IPL 2019:

KL Rahul (WK), Chris Gayle, Andrew Tye, Mayank Agarwal, Ankit Rajpoot, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Karun Nair, David Miller and Ravichandran Ashwin (C), Moises Henriques, Nicholas Pooran, Varun Chakaravarthy, Sam Curran, Mohammad Shami, Sarfaraz Khan, Hardus Viljoen, Arshdeep Singh, Darshan Nalkande, Prabhsimran Singh, Agnivesh Ayachi, Harpreet Brar, Murugan Ashwin.

READ ALSO: A guide to getting FREE IPL 2019 live streaming

IPL Betting?

Another huge change will be bringing in a new Head Coach in Mike Hesson, after the management sacked Virender Sehwag and Brad Hodge? Is this the move that will help them end their drought? Keep following ReadScoops.com to know all about their progress in IPL 2019.

PlayerzPot masthead banner

Read more:

About Dwayne Fernandes 2315 Articles
Indian, 28 years old. Avid cricket fan. Business Management Graduate. Twitter and Instagram - @dwayneeeboy