IPL 2018: Four Players Kings XI Punjab Could Axe in the Next season
Published - 31 May 2018, 07:48 PM | Updated - 22 Aug 2024, 11:52 PM
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Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) had a fine start in the eleventh season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). However, the Men in Red were not able to continue their momentum.
Ravichandran Ashwin-led team won their five matches out of the first seven they played. Thus, they were well on track – to make their way into the playoffs stage.
However, the Men in Red veered off the track in the second half of the league matches. Punjab went on to lose the remaining six matches in the next seven – to further miss out on the final four position.
Consequently, some ordinary performance from the Punjab players played a part in the ouster of their team. Thus, there could be some players who can be shown an exit door from the franchise squad.
Let’s take a look at the four players Kings XI Punjab Could Axe in the Next season.
Yuvraj Singh:
Yuvraj Singh is at the fag end of his career. The southpaw batsman wasn’t able to deliver the goods for the Punjab franchise.
The veteran southpaw batsman Yuvraj scored only 65 runs in the six innings he played in this season.
Furthermore, the all-rounder was dropped from the playing XI in the end phase of the season.
Moreover, Yuvraj has also looked bleak in the field. The talismanic batsman was not able to deliver in the crunch situations of the match for the Mohali-based outfit.
Meanwhile, the all-rounder isn’t at the top of his fitness as he has turned 36.
A lot was expected from Aaron Finch as he is considered to be a match winner in the shortest format.
However, the Australian batsman was not able to live up to the expectations.
The right-handed batsman Finch scored 134 runs in the nine innings he played for the Men in Red.
The right-handed batsman Finch was not able to grab the opportunity while batting in the lower order.
Finch accumulated his runs at a poor average of 16.75. He was backed in place of David Millier but unfortunately was not able to come up good for the Ashwin’s team.
Consequently, Finch could be axed by the team management of the Punjab side.
Agarwal failed to convert his starts:
Mayank Agarwal came into the IPL after scoring a truckload of runs in the domestic circuit. Thus, a lot was expected from the Karnataka batsman. However, he wasn’t able to deliver goods for the Punjab side.
In fact, Agarwal received a start in almost every match he played. However, he was not able to convert his them into substantial scores.
Agarwal scored only 120 runs in the 11 innings he played for the Kings XI. Thus, the bleak-looking batter could be released by the franchise.
Gayle has stated that he wants to make another comeback into IPL.
Chris Gayle was in prolific form at the beginning of the tournament. However, the veteran southpaw lost his touch in the second phase of the tournament.
Gayle scored 368 runs in the 11 innings he played for the Men in Red. However, it is well known that Gayle isn’t at the top of his fitness as he has turned 39.
Thus, Punjab might show Gayle the exit door because of his age as well as his fitness. Gayle’s fielding, as well as his running between the wickets, can turn out to be a bane for the Kings XI Punjab.
