Name: Kings XI Punjab- Captain: KL Rahul
- Head Coach: Anil Kumble
- Home Ground: Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali
- Squad members: 25
- Best result: Final in IPL 2014
This team had a fantastic start to IPL 2019 but as the season progressed, fans realized that Kings XI Punjab were being overly dependent on their openers – Chris Gayle and KL Rahul. Rahul ended as the second-highest run scorer in that season with 593 runs in 14 games including 6 fifties and a top score of 100*. As for the Universe Boss, well, he was just out there proving a point, after being purchased for only Rs.2 Crore!
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Rahul had a fabulous tour of New Zealand recently and he’s a batsman to watch out for once again but we can’t say the same about Gayle, who is aging and this time, he hasn’t had many games to practice before the IPL 2020 season. Though he scored 490 runs in the last season, he’s 40 years old and he did struggle in some parts last year. However, we see an able replacement for him in fellow West Indian Nicholas Pooran.
He usually follows the Caribbean crash-boom-bang method of batting but we’ve seen him mature over the last 12-18 months. He scored a century in the 2019 ICC World Cup and showed some promise last season with 168 runs in 6 innings. Another person who must stand up is Karun Nair – another opening option for KXIP in IPL 2020. Nair had only 5 runs in his single innings last season but has plenty of experience with 1,400+ career IPL runs.
There’s often talk of Karun Nair being a test batsman and this means, the team’s ideal opening partner for Rahul here could be Mayank Agarwal. With 332 runs in 13 games last season, he was retained for Rs.1 Crore and given his recent international exposure, this is one man to watch out for this year. As for the IPL 2020 auction, Glenn Maxwell was the man who made headlines being picked for Rs.10.75 Crore!
Maxi is one of the most loved players in international cricket but he didn’t play IPL 2019 and the last time he scored a fifty in the Indian Premier League was in IPL 2016. KXIP could rather go in for James Neesham if they want an overseas all-rounder, being a steal of a buy for just Rs.50 Lakh! Neesham last played all the way back in IPL 2014 but he’s been in good form and could be their dark horse player in IPL 2020.
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Talking about all-rounders who have massive potential, this team has Krishnappa Gowtham who can be a match-winner on his day. He had a horrible IPL 2019 with just 1 wicket and 18 runs in 7 games, which is outright pathetic. However, he has some unbelievable records in domestic cricket including 134(56)* in a KPL 2019 T20 match where he also picked up an 8-fer in the same game. These are unseen and unheard of records and that shows his potential.
2 years ago, we thought Mohammed Shami’s career was done for but he shocked us all, coming back fitter than ever, with 19 wickets in 14 games in IPL 2019, ending as KXIP’s best bowler. Their bowling attack is weak but one other wicket-taking option could be the young leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi who turned heads at the auction, bagged for Rs.2 Crore, shortly later picking 17 wickets in only 6 games in the U-19 World Cup!
KINGS XI PUNJAB SQUAD FOR IPL 2020: Chris Gayle, Karun Nair, Mayank Agarwal, Sarfaraz Khan, Mandeep Singh, Sheldon Cottrell, Ravi Bishnoi, Ishan Porel, Mohammed Shami, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Arshdeep Singh, Hardus Viljoen, Murugan Ashwin, Jagadeesha Suchith, Harpreet Brar, Darshan Nalkande, Glenn Maxwell, James Neesham, Chris Jordan, Deepak Hooda, Krishnappa Gowtham, Tajinder Singh Dhillon, Nicholas Pooran, Prabhsimran Singh, KL Rahul (C).
Chris Gayle last year said that KL Rahul has enough talent to match Virat Kohli if he continues to remain and bat in his ‘zone’. However, we’re hoping the new role of captaincy doesn’t distract Rahul as this team moves into IPL 2020. I see a strong batting order but a weak and inexperienced bowling attack which could cost them in IPL 2020. Stay tuned to ReadScoops.com for updates on KXIP’s IPL 2020 journey…
