IPL 2019: The look of Kings XI Punjab squad without top players

Two high action tournaments, Indian Premier League (IPL) and World Cup 2019 will be held at an arm’s length right at the start of the year. The IPL, being the hectic tournament that it is, spans over 50 days, takes a toll out on the players. We’ve 0ften seen players get exhausted, injured and ruled out of the entire tournament, even more than that because of the physical stress on the body.

Hence, a lot of big names from around the world who will feature in the World Cup will either miss the first part or the while of the season in 2019. It will impact the teams and the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) might also find themselves in a similar position. However, one positive for them is that their combination might not be as affected as the other teams with International players pulling out.

Lots of discards/domestic players in KXIP

The KXIP team does not have a lot of Indian players who are expected to feature in the World Cup next year. In their contingent, KL Rahul is the only player who might have an opportunity to slide into the World Cup squad. But, the opening batsman is expected to feature for the entire tournament being the only keeping option available in the squad. Rahul would be opening the innings with Chris Gayle, who seems to be preparing for the World Cup by playing T20 leagues.

Looking at the current circumstances, skipper Ravichandran Ashwin, who is another premier Indian player in their ranks might not make it to the final cut for the 50-overs tournament next year. Hence, Ashwin is expected to lead the side for the tournament as well.

Mayank Agarwal, Andrew Tye, Mandeep Singh and Axar Patel will form the core of the side. Unless there is an injury, one would expect these crucial players to play a majority of the tournament.

Among the overseas cricketers, Aaron Finch is one guy who could be missing out. He was recently named the Australian ODI skipper and is expected to lead the side in the mega tournament next year as well. So, he might only play a part of the tournament.

Overall Verdict: World Cup 2019 might not have a major impact on the Kings XI Punjab. Rahul, their most important member, is likely to feature in the majority of the tournament. With most of their core players available, they would be hoping to put up a much better show this time around.

Kings XI Punjab Strongest XI from Remaining Players:

KL Rahul(wk), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Mandeep Singh, David Miller, Yuvraj Singh/Karun Nair, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin (C), Andrew Tye, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Ankit Rajpoot.

Get the latest Cricket News and updates from Indian Premier League, Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.