IPL: 5 Players Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) should release ahead of the next season

Kings XI Punjab has always been one of the exciting teams of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The franchise, however, has not been able to win a trophy till date. The team owned by Bollywood Actress Preity Zinta came really close to win the title in the 2014 edition but eventually ended up being the second best team in the tournament.

It has been yet another disappointing performance by Kings XI Punjab as they have finished at 6th position in the 12th edition of the IPL. It was a dream start to kick off the season with a win against Rajasthan Royals courtesy a blistering knock by Chris Gayle. But, Punjab could not continue the momentum in the latter stages of the tournament as it faltered in the crucial junctures of the game.

There have been some exceptional individual performances for Punjab by the likes of Rahul, Gayle and skipper Ashwin but there are some players who could not perform as per the expectations this season. Punjab needs to make some tactical changes moving to IPL 2020 if it has to entertain any dream of winning the trophy.

We provide you the list of 5 players who Punjab should release in the next edition of IPL

1. David Miller

A lot was expected from the South African superstar this season, but he did not deliver the goods. The think tank decided to back David Miller for the major part of the tournament but the Southpaw was far off from his usual best and kept throwing away his wicket. He scored 213 runs in 10 matches he played for Punjab with the highest score of 59 runs averaging 21.3. It wasn’t a very bad effort but he was expected to do much more than that.

In the limited opportunities provided to the West Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Nicholas Pooran, he looked quite solid and confidence was written all over his shots. He might well be preferred ahead of Miller for next year. Management should really consider replacing David Miller in the next season.

2. Arshdeep Singh

Arshdeep is a left-arm pacer from Punjab. He is a member of the U19 squad that lifted the World Cup in 2018. After his impressive performances in Domestic Cricket, the 20-year-old was called for King XI Punjab’s trials where he impressed everyone with his death bowling skills. This tempted the franchise to rope him ahead of the IPL 2019 season.

In his debut against Rajasthan Royals at his home ground in Mohali, he accounted for two big guns – Ajinkya Rahane and Jos Butler. It turned out to be an eventful IPL debut for him, although he was quite expensive. In another match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, he got only a single wicket but he struggled bowling to the likes of David Warner and again was quite expensive. Although, he drew praises from the Pundits for the execution of Yorkers towards the end of the innings.

He picked up 3 wickets from 3 matches at an economy rate of close to 11 in the tournament. Although, the sample size is too small to judge him but whatever we have seen of this guy, he seems to be a talented young player who is too raw at this level. Punjab should release him next season and look for some experienced domestic bowling options.

3. Hardus Viljoen

Hardus Viljoen is a skiddy hit the deck medium pace bowler who hails from South Africa. Born in Witbank, he had a terrific start to his International Test Career in 2016 when he got Alastair Cook out off his first ball in Test Cricket. Unfortunately, he got only one wicket in the match. The Proteas went on to lose the match and the series, which saw him losing his spot from the team. A dejected Viljoen due to lack of opportunities signed off a Kolpak deal in 2016 itself and ended his association with Cricket South Africa.

In December 2018, he was bought by the Kings XI Punjab in the player auction for the 2019 IPL season and was roped in for a base price of 75 lacs by Punjab. He played 6 matches in the season taking 7 wickets at a very high economy rate of 9.65 runs per over. Punjab would be looking for a better overseas bowler with some batting abilities as well. There are high chances that he would be released for the next season.

4. Mandeep Singh

The 27-year-old from Jalandhar, Punjab came into limelight during the U19 World Cup when he was one of the top run-getters for India in the competition. He was awarded the “Rising Star of the Tournament” playing for Kings XI Punjab in the 2012 season. He scored a brilliant 50 in only his second T20 International playing for India against Zimbabwe. Mandeep’s first class numbers have been good but consistency has been his biggest foe.

Talking about his performance in this year’s IPL, he has played 13 matches for Punjab and has managed to score only 165 runs at an average of less than 13. The strike-rate has been on the lower side for him and he has not scored even a single fifty in the tournament with 33 being his best score in the competition. Now having talent is a different thing and converting it into performance is an altogether different thing. Punjab should be looking at a more consistent batsman as a replacement for Mandeep next season.

5. Murugan Ashwin

The 28-year-old leggie from Chennai came into limelight during the 2015-16 Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament where he took 10 wickets for Tamil Nadu. He impressed everyone with his variations and control and was rewarded with a 4.5 Crores IPL contract with Rising Pune Supergiants (RPS) in 2016. The leg spinner took 7 wickets in 10 matches with a decent economy rate of just above 8.

Now the current season for Murugan has not been that consistent. He has managed to take only 5 scalps in the 10 matches he has played under his namesake for Kings XI Punjab. The economy rate has also been on the higher side. For the fresh season next year, the Punjab think tank should be looking for a replacement.