IPL 2018: Kings XI Punjab Release Statement After Preity Zinta-Virender Sehwag Altercation Reports

Kings XI Punjab has released a statement regarding the recent reports suggesting the feud between co-owner Preity Zinta and mentor Virender Sehwag.

After the game against Rajasthan Royals early this week, Preity Zinta had an altercation with Sehwag over the tactics used in the game, according to various media reports.

The team had lost in a game where KL Rahul literally took the side to a respectable total in a losing cause. The promotion of Ravichandran Ashwin to No. 3 had failed miserably and Rajasthan won the game comfortably by 15 runs. Both Virender Sehwag and Preity Zinta had already rubbished the reports on Friday. But now the franchise themselves released a statement on the issue, providing more clarity to the fans and media.

“The culture in Kings XI is one that is open and non-hierarchical, and is one which encourages open and frank debate by one and all across all levels with the common goal of continuous improvement,” KXIP said in the statement.

“This (statement) is in response to media reports that have been published in the last couple of days on the supposed disagreement which was reported after Kings XI’s last game. The stories have led to a lot of speculation and we at Kings XI Punjab would like to clearly state that as part of our management process, (as well as other franchisees) we review our performance on and off the field after each game through both, formal and informal discussions,” the statement further read.

“This is part of our standard operations review process which helps us to analyse our results and allow us to focus on the improvement required after each game, both on and off the field so that we can continue to improve in all aspects,” the statement further added.

Kings XI Punjab Primed for Playoffs

The team are amongst the favourites ahead of IPL 2018 and have definitely lived up to the expectations in the season so far. In the nine IPL games they played so far, Kings XI Punjab have lost only three games and are primed to reach the playoffs this year.

Ravichandran Ashwin has been phenomenal as the skipper of the team. He led the team from the front and was not entirely afraid of making necessary changes. On the other hand, the newcomers have all delivered which is causing a problem of plenty for the team.

But the lack of proper in form batsman in the middle order is the major concern for the side.

Both the openers Chris Gayle, KL Rahul, are in sensational form leaving little job for the middle order. However, the middle-order needs to step up their performances to help the side finish in top 2. All in all, Kings XI Punjab are still one of the favourites to win the title this year.