IPL 2020: 3 Disappointing buys made by Kings XI Punjab (KXIP)

Kings XI Punjab is one of the three franchises that are yet to win their first-ever title in the Indian Premier League (IPL). There is no shortage of big and exciting players in their side that comprises of Chris Gayle, KL Rahul, Nicholas Pooran and Mohammed Shami. At the start of every season, they are rated as one of the potential sides to win the tournament but they have failed to live up to the expectations.

Earlier this month, the IPL 2020 auction was held in Kolkata and it was a big opportunity for the KXIP think tank to add some new faces in order to fill the voids in the side that can help them in clinching their maiden trophy in the next season.

KXIP entered the auction with the biggest amount in their purse among the eight teams. They had a total of Rs 42.70 Crore and it looked like the new team management under Anil Kumble would look to grab the services of some T20 specialists. They did the same but committed a few mistakes while picking the players.

The main reason behind the Kings’ failure in their previous seasons was the lack of firepower in the fast bowling unit. It looked like they had done their homework properly coming into the auction as they covered their bases by grabbing the likes of Chris Jordan, James Neesham and Ishan Porel to name a few. In the end, they were left with 16.50 as they bought a total of nine players including the above mentioned.

Thus, let’s take a look at the three disappointing buys from Kings XI Punjab:

Sheldon Cottrell

One of the most surprising buys of this IPL was West Indies fast bowler Sheldon Cottrell, who was bought by KXIP after splashing a whopping amount of Rs 8.50 Crore. Nobody might have expected the fact that he might emerge as one of the top five expensive players of the IPL 2020 auction.

Now, in the upcoming season, Cottrell is likely to share the new ball with the Indian pacer Mohammed Shami. But, adding him in the ranks was not a wise decision taken by the KXIP think tank. Firstly, the management will have to make a place for the pacer in the team because as far as rules are concerned a franchise can play with only four overseas players and three slots are already confirmed in the presence of Maxwell, Gayle and Pooran in the team. Moreover, Chris Jordan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman will be the lead runners to grab that one overseas slot left.

On the other hand, there is still doubt whether Cottrell was worth giving a fee of 8.50 Crore or not. He played three games in the recently concluded T20I series and could only manage to grab three wickets for his team. If we have a look at his overall career in the shortest format then he doesn’t seem to be as good as the price that KXIP paid for roping him in the team.