The Kings XI Punjab had the highest budget to spend in this year’s IPL auction. They failed to make it to the playoffs last season despite having some pretty big names in their squad. With a lot of funds left in their purse, they had options to choose from as well as an ability to bid with confidence.

KXIP had an impressive auction this year, but they could have done way better with the choice of players available. KXIP released as many as 11 players, including some big names like Aaron Finch, Axar Patel, Mohit Sharma and Yuvraj Singh ahead of the IPL Auction 2019. They have also traded Marcus Stoinis for Mandeep Singh to bolster their batting department.

Kings XI Punjab Squad –

Batsmen – Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, David Miller, Mandeep Singh, Sarfaraz Khan

All Rounders – Moises Henriques, Harpreet Brar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Sam Curran

Wicket Keepers – Lokesh Rahul, Simran Singh, Nicholas Pooran

Bowlers – Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Murugan Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Andrew Tye, Ankit Rajpoot, Hardus Viljoen, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Darshan Nalkande, Agnivesh Ayachi

Team Composition and Analysis –

Some of the players mentioned in the above squad are unknown to many but have been signed for plenty by the KXIP; Prabhsimran Singh and Varun Chakravarthy are the ones to watch! The player that everyone was talking about in the summer of 2018, has been bought by Punjab this year. That’s right, it’s the English all-rounder Sam Curran, who created problems for both batsman and bowlers in the test series against India. His inclusion in the XI will be a decisive factor for KXIP’s chances of victory.

The strength of KXIP is their opening combination. The ever-dominating IPL star Chris Gayle and aggressive and stylish KL Rahul. If these two get going, it’s going to be difficult for any lineup, irrespective of the team, bowler, or conditions to stop them.

Secondly, they have four crucial overs to be bowled by Afghan Star spinner – Mujeeb Ur Rahman, which will help them defend small totals as well as create pressure with the new ball in the initial overs.

KXIP chose the right option to buy Mohammad Shami as they were in need of an experienced Indian pacer and Shami can prove to be highly effective for that job.

Ratings –

Batting – 8/10

All-rounders – 6/10

Bowling – 7/10

Let us know your thoughts on KXIP’s team and if they have a chance to win the title.