CricWiz.in

The Kings XI Punjab have, since the inception of IPL, managed to reach the knockouts just a couple of times. They have been the perennial underachievers. While they have always boasted of some very big international names, the same has not always translated into performance on the field, or to be more specific; league domination or knockout appearances. Barring the 2014 edition, where Kings XI just ran away from the rest of the pack by winning their first five games, this was also the only season in which they played the final and finished second behind KKR, there hasn’t been any season where they have dominated the league.

This season, however, with a change in leadership and the purchase of some proven T20 performers, we can expect Kings XI to put up a better show, if not qualify for the knockouts, as compared to the previous seasons.

Strengths

The top half of the batting line-up, with a good mix of youth and experience, is Punjab’s strength.

Punjab have some very good T20 bowlers, a few of among them with really impressive death bowling skills, namely Mohit Sharma and AJ Tye. The bowling line-up that will start most of the games looks quite sorted for Kings XI Punjab.

Areas of concern

Absence of a regular wicket-keeper is the biggest area of concern for Kings XI Punjab. Having let go of Saha and not buying a keeper-batsman as a replacement is a gamble by the Kings. In the absence of a regular keeper, KL Rahul should assume the duties.

Lack of depth in the batting department is an area of concern for the Kings. While the top-order is Punjab’s strength, the lower middle-order batting, after Stoinis, is not very encouraging if you are a Kings XI Punjab fan. Axar Patel and Ravi Ashwin are not exactly the type of batsmen that can score a quick-fire 20-30 on a consistent basis.

Do not have the best fielding side, in fact far from it. With fielding not known to be Ashwin’s strongest suit, it will be interesting to see where he positions himself now that he is also the skipper of the side and will be required to frequently communicate with the bowlers. There are also a couple of other players in the side who will have to be hidden in the field.

The back-up bowling options of Punjab, though good and have decent records when it comes to T20 cricket, are still unproven commodities at such a big stage. It remains to be seen if they are able to deal well with the pressure.

Players to watch out for

Ravi Ashwin as the leader should bring a sense of calm to the side which had slam-bang players like Maxwell and Miller as skippers in the previous two editions. A lot will be expected of him, both as a player as well as a leader. Ashwin, being kept out of India’s limited overs cricket, will be eager to prove his limited overs credentials.

Mayank Agarwal has been in the form of life across all formats, being the highest run-getter in the Ranji trophy as well as the Vijay Hazare trophy. The runs that he has scored have also come at a very good strike rate. The Kings would be well served if he can carry that form into IPL.

AJ Tye, with his vast array of deliveries, has shown time and again his ability to pick wickets, both at the start of the innings and at the death. His performances will go a long way in determining the fate of Kings XI in this edition.

Marcus Stoinis is more than a handy batsman coming in at No.6 and also a good wicket-to-wicket bowler, someone who can bowl a containing line, which is a luxury in T20s.

       Ashwin, Stoinis, Agarwal and Tye will hold                       the key for Kings XI Punjab

Kings XI Punjab squad – IPL 2018

Probable Starting XI: Mayank Agarwal, Aaron Finch, KL Rahul, David Miller, Karun Nair, Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Andrew Tye, Mohit Sharma, Barinder Sran

Top-order

Agarwal and Finch at the top should give Punjab the kind of explosive starts that help set a huge target. Rahul coming in at number three gives Punjab the much needed balance at the top-order. In case of the loss of an early wicket, Rahul can steady the ship and in case of the openers having set a solid platform, he can start going after the bowlers right from the start. Although, chances of Stoinis and Miller coming up the order seems more likely in case a solid platform is set by the openers.

Middle-order

Karun Nair sandwiched between two explosive batsmen, Miller and Stoinis, gives the batting line-up, till the middle-order, a very balanced look. When Miller and Stoinis get going, no target is difficult to achieve, Karun meanwhile can play the support role to perfection. It is also possible that Karun may come in at number 3 and Rahul may drop down to number 4, as Karun tends to take a few balls before he gets going.

Lower middle-order

Axar Patel and Ashwin, both of whom are more of bowling all-rounders; but with the squad that Punjab have got, these two seem the best fit in the lower middle-order. Axar Patel can still tonk the ball quite a bit but Ashwin is more of an accumulator, so it can become a challenge for Punjab to set a competitive total or chase a score when a few wickets are down quickly. The top six will have to do the bulk of the scoring if Punjab are to be competitive this year. In terms of bowling, Punjab will be looking at the 2 A’s, Axar and Ashwin, to keep the scoring in check during the middle-overs.

Bowlers

Tye, Mohit Sharma and Barinder Sran can form a more than decent bowling line-up. Tye can also hit a few lusty blows towards the end of the innings and his ability with the ball is something that I have already spoken about. Mohit Sharma, with his excellent slower balls and inch-perfect yorkers, can be more than a handful in the death overs. Sran, although has played only a handful of IPL games, most of which came in the 2016 edition, provides the left-arm option for Ashwin., which is the reason he might play ahead of Ankit Rajpoot.

Expected position in the league table: Bottom half

Kings XI Punjab start their IPL campaign with a home game, a 4pm start, against Delhi Daredevils on 8th April. Full schedule of Kings XI Punjab