Finishing at the seventh spot in the last season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) would be looking forward to changing the history and clinch their maiden title.
KXIP have so far reached the playoffs only twice in 12 seasons.
The Mohali-based franchise will start from fresh as they have released big players ahead of the 2020 auction. The likes of Andrew Tye, David Miller, Sam Curran, Moises Henriques are released, whereas Ravichandran Ashwin and Ankit Rajpoot have been traded.
Bollywood actress Preity Zinta co-owned team have the highest purse available – INR 42.70 crore, so it’s expected that they may utilize it with the liberty of not worrying too much about the money. They can look for some reliable replacements and backup players, as well.
Let’s have a look at the three players that KXIP might target in the IPL 2020 auction:
Glenn Maxwell
Australian power-hitter Glenn Maxwell is back from mental health break and will be the center of attraction in the upcoming auction.
Having played for Punjab in the previous seasons, Maxwell knows the Do and Don’ts for adjusting in the team’s atmosphere.
After releasing David Miller, KXIP needs an aggressive middle-order batsman, and Maxwell fits in the slot.
Speaking about the current squad of Punjab, then they have players like KL Rahul, Chris Gayle, and Mayank Agarwal, who can be handy at the top order. But, if they take Maxwell in the side, then their lower-middle order will get strong as the Australian can bat comfortably either at No. 5 or No. 6.
Eoin Morgan
Eoin Morgan needs no introduction as the past few years have been incredible for this English player. Being a World-Cup winning captain, and an impressive middle-order batsman, Morgan knows how to lead the side and win tournaments.
If KXIP decides not to project KL Rahul as the captain, then Morgan’s addition would be way too useful as he knows the experience of winning maiden titles.
Punjab haven’t yet won the IPL title, so this might be an excellent opportunity to try Morgan out, and who knows under his leadership KXIP could win this time.
Pat Cummins
Having Mohammed Shami on the side, KXIP does have a proper bowling line-up, but since they have released Ankit Rajpoot, they need another genuine pacer who can provide backup to Shami and can destroy opponents batting line-up at the word go.
The Aussie speedster Pat Cummins, who is having a great 2019, can turn the tables for Punjab in the upcoming edition.
Cummins does have the IPL experience as the right-hand bowler played 12 matches for Delhi in 2017 and picked up 15 wickets.
If KXIP decides to go with Cummins, then their bowling would become much more lethal and sharp, which is the ultimate requirement for franchises.
