Kings XI Punjab at IPL 2020 Auction: Glenn Maxwell returns to KXIP Squad as Anil Kumble announces KL Rahul as captain
Right from the 2018 auctions, Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) have never been shy of going big after players. These big buys are often used for a season and left off in the auction pool again. Moreover, they’ve had this tendency of starting each season well but boiling off towards the back end and missing out on a top-four spot. Thus, KXIP released seven players and were pretty active in the trading window as well. They had nine slots to fill with ₹42.70 crore remaining and as it stands, KXIP made the most out of the Auction as they formed a formidable squad for IPL 2020.
New Additions
Glenn Maxwell (Rs 10.75 crore), Deepak Hooda (Rs 50 lakh), James Neesham (Rs 50 lakh), Chris Jordan (Rs 3 crore), Prabhsimran Singh (Rs 55 lakh), Sheldon Cottrell (Rs 8.5 crore), Ishan Porel (Rs 20 lakh), Ravi Bishnoi (Rs 2 crore), Tajinder Dhillon (Rs 20 lakh)
KXIP Full squad for IPL 2020:
KL Rahul (c & wk), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Mandeep Singh, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Nicholas Pooran (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Glenn Maxwell, Deepak Hooda, James Neesham, Chris Jordan, Murugan Ashwin, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, K. Gowtham, J. Suchith, Harpreet Brar, Ravi Bishnoi, Tajinder Dhillon, Mohammed Shami, Hardus Viljoen, Arshdeep Singh, Darshan Nalkande, Sheldon Cottrell, Ishan Porel
IPL Auction performance summary
First things first. The new director of cricket at Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) announced that KL Rahul will be leading the side in the 2020 season. KXIP had the biggest purse going into the auction and it was no secret that they are going to go hell for leather for a few players. It was surprising that they didn’t go for someone like Pat Cummins who could be the spearhead of the bowling attack.
Sheldon Cottrell is an excellent addition to KXIP Squad for IPL 2020
However, they did manage to get a couple of really get white-ball specialists, Sheldon Cottrell and Chris Jordan. KXIP desperately wanted Cottrell and that was evident from the get-go. They pouched him for Rs 8.5 crore while Jordan was an absolute steal in Rs 3 crore. The Punjab side needed some death overs specialists and they’ve got that.
They also went ahead and did a lot of all-rounder shopping. KXIP broke the bank to bring back Glenn Maxwell (10.5 crore) into the mix, adding depth to the middle order and he is likely to follow the likes of Chris Gayle, KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal in the batting line-up. The Australian all-rounder was paid a stunning sum of Rs 10.75 crore. James Neesham was a very good buy while Deepak Hooda may not have had the best of IPLs over the last couple of years but he adds depth to the middle and lower middle order.
Glenn Maxwell returned to KXIP squad for IPL 2020
There are a couple of teenagers as well. Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi was given Rs 2 crore while Prabhsimran Singh was bought back at a price of Rs 55 lakhs. Ishan Porel was a decent buy as well and KXIP may well invest in him. In all, KXIP managed to plug in most of their requirements and now have a squad of 25 players.
Best buy for KXIP
Chris Jordan was KXIP’s best buy. In fact, he was an absolutely steal. England’s T20 specialist pacer has been excellent ever since the World T20 in 2016. He’s played almost every game and has been excellent. Jordan bowls well at the death and has the ability to tonk a few with the bat and is also a gun fielder.
Loopholes
KXIP haven’t really looked into Gayle’s backup. The Universe Boss will play most of the games but he’s had fitness issues in the past and there needs to be some backup. Yes, there are Indian players who can replace him at the top but none of them are as destructive as him and thus, KXIP needed someone destructive at the top.
Verdict on KXIP Squad for IPL 2020
KXIP have had a pretty good time in the auction and they’ve shopped all over the place. With a bunch of top-order batsmen at their disposal, they didn’t even look at that side and have added all-round depth along with a couple of overseas pacers. They still have Rs 16.50 crore in their purse and they could’ve gone bigger for certain players.
KXIP Probable Playing XI
To be updated