With the newly formed duo of K. L. Rahul and Anil Kumble at the helm as captain and head coach of the franchise, Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) will be keen to make a real mark in the competition, instead of just making up the numbers.
It has refreshed its squad by replacing four of its foreigners from last season with Glenn Maxwell, Sheldon Cottrell, Chris Jordan and James Neesham.
FOLLOW | IPL 2020 COVERAGE
Rahul and Chris Gayle have been consistent at the top of the order for the last two seasons since their move to Punjab in 2018. The team management will hope that Maxwell addresses the middle-order vulnerability the franchise has been faced with if either of Rahul or Gayle fails to fire.
Mandeep Singh and Sarfaraz Khan will be tasked with the finisher’s role and can be used as floaters between positions 4 and 6 with Maxwell. Krishnappa Gowtham, who was traded in for this season, and Jordan will add plenty of value to the XI as bowling all-rounders. Jordan also showcased his death-overs bowling skills in England’s Twenty20 series win over Australia.
Spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman comes into the tournament as the second-highest wicket-taker in the Caribbean Premier League with 16 wickets. He will be quite a challenge for the opposition batsmen in both the Power Play and the death overs, while Mohammed Shami will be the lead pacer in the XI.
The wildcard for Kings XI will be India under-19 leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, who was the top wicket-taker in the Under-19 World Cup earlier this year with 16 scalps.
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