Squad Analysis: Skipper-less Kings XI Punjab Go Heavy On Batting

Kings XI Punjab will look to make the most out of the experienced side they have assembled and arrest the slide of being inconsistent over the years. With their skipper not announced yet, it will be interesting to see who gets the nod, given that there will be serious testing times.
KXIP have built their side around a lot of experience especially in batting and that makes them a dangerous entity. The franchise retained only Axar Patel before going back to the auction in buying David Miller, Marcus Stoinis and Mohit Sharma via the Right To Match (RTM) card.
The side then went to gain some solid experience in the line-up by getting veterans Chris Gayle and Yuvraj Singh. Ashwin too was snapped up alongside Australian limited overs specialist Andrew Tye. They also broke the banks for India’s KL Rahul, who has been in good form in the shortest format off late for the national team.
The purchase of Australian opener Aaron Finch was another headline buy of the auction. Surprisingly they did away with Hashim Amla, who was a star performer for them in the 2017 edition. Also the side hasn’t gone for a specialist wicket-keeper.
KXIP have the ingredients to spice up the 2018 IPL and here is the analysis of the team.
Batsmen: The KXIP are spoilt for choices in the batting with a plethora of stars in the squad. Universal T20 king Chris Gayle will most likely get the nod to open the innings. The stellar West Indian enjoyed a lot of success with the Royal Challengers Bangalore unit over the years and KXIP needs him to fire all guns blazing. He is definitely the player to watch out for and is a bargain buy despite not being as threatening off late.
Gayle in IPL: Matches 101, Runs 3626, Best 175, Average 41.2, S/R 151.21
Aaron Finch is a perfect option alongside Gayle at the top and together the duo can dismantle any bowling line-up on a given day. Finch has been in good touch for the Aussies and he will look to carry on the momentum. KL Rahul is another vital fit at the top order and will most likely keep wickets. Yuvraj Singh is making a comeback to KXIP and will be hoping to make the difference in the middle order.
Proteas star David Miller is another experienced star and his presence too lifts up the side. With Karun Nair, Mayank Agarwal and Manoj Tiwary in the squad, the side does look well armoured. Consistency will be the key for KXIP’s batsmen to get big runs and help their side to be in the game.
All-Rounders: Marcus Stoinis leads the all-round list for KXIP and will be their go to man. The Aussie star will walk into the side and look to build his reputation as a match-winner. Stoinis was delightful to watch for his national side in the limited overs series against England and will need to carry on with the same touch.
With no other notable players in this department, it will be all up to Stoinis to make the real difference. Yuvraj and Gayle could also get a look in with bowling some part-time spin.
Bowlers: Andrew Tye is a brilliant addition to the side, but it will be interesting to see whether he gets a consistent run of games with all the other foreign stars making up the batting slots. That is an interesting headache for the side. But with Tye, they have a proven limited overs specialist. The 31-year-old has been amongst the wickets for the Aussies in the ongoing T20I Tri-nation series.
Tye will need to guide the Indian bowlers this year with some valuable inputs. Mohit Sharma has been a dependable bowler in the IPL over the years and with Barinder Sran and Ankit Rajpoot in the attack, the pace unit looks inexperienced and also lacks the gloss.
In the spin department, KXIP have got two serious names in Ashwin and Axar. Although the former hasn’t been in the reckoning for India’s limited overs over the last one year or so, he is still a valuable cog. Axar has been limited to the bench in the Indian team off late but has the craft needed to shine in the format.
Mujeeb Zadran, the Afghan prodigy, is another option in spin and the unit looks potent in this department.
Weaknesses: KXIP lack a genuine wicket-keeper in the side. Therefore Rahul’s impact is crucial with little known Akshdeep Nath the back-up. Also the pace bowling unit lacks the fire-power to deliver consistently.
Kings XI Punjab squad: KL Rahul (wk), Akshdeep Nath (wk), Chris Gayle, Yuvraj Singh, David Miller, Ravichandran Ashwin, Aaron Finch, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Manoj Tiwary, Akshar Patel, Marcus Stoinis, Manzoor Dar, Mujeeb Zadran, Pardeep Sahu, Mayank Dagar, Ankit Rajpoot, Mohit Sharma, Barinder Sran, Andrew Tye, Ben Dwarshius.