Table of Contents
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 has been successfully concluded in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with Mumbai Indians (MI) winning the lucrative league for the record fifth time. After the tournament, the analysis of teams who failed to make it to playoffs is continued in full flow.
And this does make sense as well because the next season of the cash-rich league is just a few months away. Following the pattern, former India international and a well-known cricket analyst Aakash Chopra has reviewed the performance of Kings XI Punjab (KXIP).
The cricketer-turned-commentator has reckoned that KXIP should release a few overseas players ahead of IPL 2021 auction. Chopra mentioned the name of Aussie all-rounder Glenn Maxwell along with a couple of other foreign cricketers that KXIP should get away with.
“Maxwell’s poor form was a huge disappointment. Another big problem was the overseas bowling unit. Cottrell played and then didn’t get the opportunity, same was the case with Neesham and Jordan. So the door for the inward-outward movement was always kept open,” said Chopra in a video uploaded on his official Facebook page.
“They should leave out Sheldon Cottrell, they should leave Hardus Viljoen also if they are not playing him, and they should leave Maxwell as well,” he added.
KXIP should keep Gayle: Chopra
The 43-year-old remarked that Punjab could play a waiting game with Caribbean superstar Chris Gayle as the left-handed power-striker brings an X-factor to the team.
“They can keep Gayle if he wants to play although he is 41-years old. But the IPL is just a few months away, and he was not expensive as well. So they can keep him as he is an X-factor and an intimidating factor,” Chopra added further.
Chopra also gave a solid reason to back his assertion of leaving out a few overseas players as their absence will provide KXIP with a much bigger purse to shop in the next auction.
“If they (KXIP management) drop those 2-3 big names, they will get a bigger purse to shop wholeheartedly,” the former India opener concluded.
