All-time best XI of Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in IPL

Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) have never been short of talented cricketers but they have mostly failed to live up to the expectations, never winning the IPL title. The team is based in Mohali and is owned by a consortium of Preity Zinta, Ness Wadia, Mohit Burman and Karan Paul. They play a majority of their home matches at the IS Bindra PCA Stadium in Mohali with a few games in Dharamshala and Indore. Unlike Delhi Capitals, Kings XI Punjab have actually reached an IPL final. They were table toppers after the group stage matches in 2014 but lost to Kolkata Knight Riders when it mattered the most. KXIP hold the unwanted record of having made the playoffs only 2 times. Yuvraj Singh was chosen as their icon player and captain for the inaugural season of the IPL and he led them a second-place finish in the league stage. The Kings XI Punjab’s catchment areas are Kashmir, Jammu, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana which is evident from the letter sequence “K J H P H” in the banner of the team’s logo. From Paul Valthaty to Parvinder Awana, they have given a platform for a lot of uncapped players and they haven’t disappointed. Perhaps due to the lack of success, even legends of the outfit such as Shaun Marsh, who finished as the Orange Cap winner in the first IPL season, haven’t gotten the respect they deserved. Here we take a look at KXIP’s all-time greatest XI: 1. KL Rahul KL Rahul. (Photo Source: Surjeet Yadav/IANS) KL Rahul joined Kings XI Punjab in 2018. He previously played for Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad. Despite scoring a good amount of runs for RCB in 2016, they decided to let him go. In 2018, KL Rahul joined KXIP for 11 crore. KL Rahul was one of the revelations of the IPL 2018 as he scored 659 runs at an average of 54.91 and at a quick strike-rate of 158.41. He had a very good outing in the following year as well as the Karnataka boy aggregated 593 runs which included an unbeaten 100- his best score in the IPL so far. Following Ravi Ashwin’s departure, the top-order batsman was named as the new captain for the franchise ahead of the 2020 IPL season. Overall, he has scored 1,977 runs in his IPL career at a solid average of 42.06 and a strike rate of 138.15. Together with Chris Gayle, Rahul has formed a potent opening combination that took the attack to the opposition and he enjoyed the freedom given to him at the top of the batting order. Rahul has become KXIP’s highest Indian run scorer in just two years with the team. He also takes the additional responsibility of keeping wickets. 2. Chris Gayle Kings XI Punjab’s Chris Gayle. (Photo Source: Surjeet Yadav/IANS) Chris Gayle will turn 41 years old in another month’s time but he still remains one of the most dangerous batsmen in the shortest format of the game. If there had to be one batsman, who could be the ambassador for T20s, it would be the Universe Boss. He has scored over 13,000 runs in all of T20 cricket which is just astonishing. He has scored 22 centuries in his T20 career, which is 7 more than Kohli, Raina, Rohit, Dhawan and Dhoni combined. After conquering the Bangalore crowds at the Chinnaswamy stadium, the left-handed opener made a quiet move to Kings XI Punjab in 2018 and made instant impact with another strong season that included a century against Sunrisers Hyderabad. He has scored 858 runs across the last 2 years for KXIP. His average of 40.85 and strike rate of 150.26 indicate that he still has a lot of cricket left in him. Chris Gayle is 6th on the all-time list of run-scorers in the IPL with 4484 runs. He holds the records for most number of centuries (6), most number of sixes (326) and highest individual score (175*). He will surely go down as a legend for Royal Challengers Bangalore but his contributions for Kings XI Punjab at the tail end of his career shouldn’t go unnoticed. 3. Shaun Marsh Shaun Marsh of Kings XI Punjab. (Photo: Surjeet Yadav/IANS) Shaun Marsh was bought by Kings XI Punjab during the 2008 IPL auction after his strong performances for Western Australia. Despite missing the first four games of the tournament, Marsh scored the most runs in the league, which included a fabulous century against the Rajasthan Royals. He received the Orange Cap for scoring most runs in the 2008 IPL tournament. Marsh is a part of an elite group of players that have represented only one team since the inception of the IPL. It’s even more impressive when you consider Marsh has played for a decade from 2008 to 2017. Over the years, Marsh had a few poor seasons, especially in 2015 when he scored 81 runs in 4 matches. Marsh has scored a total of 2477 runs which makes him the highest run scorer for KXIP. “Son of Swampy”, as he is referred to back in his home country, boasts an average of just below 40 and a strike rate of 132.74. His inclusion in this XI was a no-brainer and the only thing to be pondered upon was where he would bat. Despite him primarily being used as opener for Kings XI Punjab, he will be coming one-down to accommodate Rahul and Gayle. 4. David Miller David Miller. (Photo Source: Twitter) David Miller is another player that springs to mind when a cricket fan thinks of Kings XI Punjab. He joined the franchise in 2012 and earned himself a name among the KXIP faithful. He ended his long association with the team in 2020 as they decided not to retain the services of the Proteas batsman and he will be playing for Rajasthan Royals. He enjoyed his most prolific seasons during a period from 2013 to 2015. In 2013, he got 418 runs in just 12 matches with a staggering average of 59.71 at a strike-rate in excess of 160. This included a gorgeous ton against Royal Challengers Bangalore. So destructive was his 38-ball hundred against RCB in 2013, that KXIP have always shown faith in the left-handed batsman. He followed that campaign by scoring 446 and 357 runs in the 2014 and 2015 editions respectively. He parted ways with the Kings XI Punjab with a record of 1974 runs in 82 innings. His healthy average of of 35.25 and a strike rate of 140 is perfect for him to be a mainstay in this conceptual lineup’s middle-order. 5. Glenn Maxwell Glenn Maxwell. (Photo Source: Twitter) Glenn Maxwell is one of the most sought after players in T20 cricket and that is clearly seen by the amount of money franchisees have decided to pay him to acquire his services. Maxwell would be the X-factor in this all-time KXIP XI as he could be used as a floater in the batting order depending on the demands of the situation. Maxwell has played for several teams like Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals on two occasions and Kings XI Punjab. His most fruitful season came in 2014 as he won the Most Valuable Player award when he teamed up with David Miller for Kings XI Punjab in clobbering the opposition. He scored 552 runs in the 2014 campaign at an average of 34.50 and an amazing strike rate of 187.75. A brilliant fielder, who can contribute with his off-spin, the Australian can play the role of a finisher in this team. He is Kings XI Punjab’s third top-scorer of all time with 1275 runs and has also picked up 11 wickets. After missing the IPL season in 2019, Maxwell will be raring to go in 2020 after having joined the Kings XI Punjab once again. He will definitely be a batsman to watch out for as the matches are set to be played in UAE, a place where he thrived in 2014. 6. Yuvraj Singh Yuvraj Singh. (Photo Source: Twitter) Statistically speaking, Yuvraj Singh faces some competition for this slot from the likes of Wriddhiman Saha, Manan Vohra and Mandeep Singh. India’s former all-rounder Yuvraj Singh was KXIP’s first icon player and would be the best choice among Indian middle-order batsmen. The dashing middle-order batsman would provide a good back-up spin bowling option in this KXIP all-time XI. Yuvraj scored 959 runs for KXIP at a below-par average of 22.30 and a strike rate of 127.86 but he had his best moments for KXIP with the ball as he took 14 wickets for the Punjab outfit, which includes two hat-tricks in IPL 2009. With the lack of a true leader in this XI, Yuvraj will also be the captain of this team and look to emulate the form KXIP showed in 2008 under his captaincy. One of the greatest limited-over players to play for India, Yuvraj was particularly noted for his aggressive stroke-play and his fielding. His best season in the IPL came in 2009 as the Padma Shri awardee not only scored 340 runs but also took 6 wickets. His economy rate of 7.40 is the least among all the bowlers in this all-time XI. 7. Irfan Pathan MS Dhoni & Irfan Pathan. (Photo Source: Twitter) Irfan Pathan was a part of Kings XI Punjab’s squad in the 2008 campaign of the IPL. Irfan has played for several IPL teams but he will be remembered for his time at KXIP. The southpaw represented Kings XI Punjab for the first three seasons and picked up 47 wickets in 42 matches with an economy rate of 7.79 and a respectable strike rate of 19.1. Along with Piyush Chawla, Irfan was very important to deliver breakthroughs for the team. He picked up 15, 17 and 15 wickets in 2008, 2009 and 2010 season respectively which proves how consistent he was. Along with his bowling, Irfan also contributed with the bat. He scored over 600 runs during his time at the Mohali based franchise. In his prime season, he scored 276 runs at an impressive average of 34.50. What is also interesting is that he scored those runs at a smashing strike rate of 148.38. He left KXIP following the 2010 edition of the IPL and spent a few moderately successful seasons at Delhi Daredevils. He became a journey man of the IPL after the 2013 season as he went on to play for 4 different teams in the next 4 years. 8. Axar Patel Axar Patel. (Photo Source: BCCI) Axar Patel, the bowling all-rounder from Gujarat, had earned his maiden IPL contract with Mumbai Indians in 2013, and a switch to KXIP the following season made him a household name in the competition in the years that followed. Axar Patel took 69 wickets in 72 matches and had a joyous time at KXIP apart from his last season. He won the emerging player of the season award in 2014. Axar’s economical left-arm spin bowling and handy batting lower down the order made him an asset for the Mohali franchise, and earned him a call-up for India in the limited-overs formats. He was one of their most dangerous bowlers during his 5-season-stint as he took around 15 wickets in 4 of those seasons. Moreover, his economy rate of 7.41 is commendable. Axar’s inclusion in the side adds to the balance in the bowling department and he is also more than capable with the willow in his hand. Patel scored almost 700 runs during his time at Kings XI Punjab which includes two separate seasons where he scored 200+ runs whilst batting in the lower batting order. A feature of his batting is his ability to clear the ropes. 9. Piyush Chawla Piyush Chawla. (Photo Source: BCCI) Piyush Chawla played in the IPL for the Kings XI Punjab team from 2008 to 2013. He had a successful time at KXIP and was their standout bowler during the first few seasons of the tournament. After IPL 4, the leg-spinner has taken 57 in 55 matches and only 5 players had better record at the time. He knows how to use the conditions to his advantage and has a brilliant googly in his armoury. His best season for Kings XI Punjab came in the inaugural edition of the IPL. He followed the 17-wicket-campaign by 5 back-to-back productive seasons wherein he consistently picked up 10-20 wickets each year. Overall, Chawla picked up 84 wickets in 87 matches during his time at Kings XI Punjab and he still remains their leading wicket-taker. Chawla joined Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2014 season and played a key part in their victorious title run in his debut campaign. He remained a vital cog in their bowling line up and crossed the 150-wicket mark in 2019. He is the 4th highest wicket taker in IPL history. In the most recent auction, Chawla joined Chennai Super Kings. 10. Sandeep Sharma Kings XI Punjab player Sandeep Sharma celebrates fall of Virat Kohli’s wicket. (Photo: IANS) As mentioned earlier, Kings XI Punjab have been renowned to provide a platform for uncapped Indian players. Sandeep Sharma is one of the best talents produced by KXIP. He was only 20 when he made his debut for the team and was scouted by the Preity Zinta-owned side following his performances during the 2012 ICC U-19 World Cup. The highlight of his IPL career was in the 2014 campaign as the Punjab-born pacer took 18 wickets at an immaculate strike rate of just 13.38. He didn’t rest on his laurels and continued his form by picking up 45 wickets in the next 3 seasons. His tally of 71 wickets in 56 matches sees his claim the second spot in the leading wicket-takers for KXIP. In the 2017 edition of the IPL, Sharma claimed 3/22 from his four overs against Royal Challengers Bangalore and in the process became the first bowler to get the renowned trio of Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers out in the same game. He joined Sunrisers Hyderabad for the 2018 season and although he has faced stiff competition from Khaleel Ahmed, Siddarth Kaul and Basil Thampi, he has managed to pick up 12 wickets in each of the last 2 seasons. 11. Parvinder Awana Parvinder Awana. (Photo by Ajay Agarwal/ Hindustan Times via Getty Images) Parvinder Awana was an unknown quantity for casual fans of the IPL before he made his mark for Kings XI Punjab in the 2012 season. The medium pacer had a great domestic season which saw him being picked up by KXIP. He was sensational in his first season for them to say the least. He made his debut for India in T20I due to his bright IPL season. Awana picked up 17 wickets in the 2012 season which surprised a lot of fans. His strike rate of 16.58 and average of 21.88 was very formidable for a debutant. He also took a 4-wicket-haul in the 2012 season. Critics suggested that he was going to be a one-season wonder but he proved his doubters wrong by taking another 15 wickets in the 2013 season. Awana faced a dip in his form and could only deliver 7 wickets in 7 games in the 2014 season. His economy rate had gone above the 10-run mark and his average had plummeted to 35.00. Kings XI Punjab opted not to retain his services for the next season and he hasn’t been seen in the IPL ever since. In July 2018, he retired from all forms of cricket.

All-time best XI of Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in IPL

Quite a formidable unit!

3. Shaun Marsh