Can Ashwin turn around KXIP's fortunes?
April 05 2018 by Gokul Gopal
In the ten editions of the Indian Premier League so far, Kings XI Punjab and Delhi Daredevils were the only teams to have employed ten captains. With the announcement of R Ashwin as their 11th skipper, the Kings XI have maintained the IPL editions-captains ratio, but this regular musical chairs hasn't done anything to help them come within sight of a title. Barring a semi-final exit in 2008 and finishing second best in the 2014 edition, Kings XI's IPL gigs have all been disappointing, which they will be dearly hoping to rectify come the 2018 edition.
Kings XI Punjab, over the years, had opted for the big overseas names in the batting department, while there was a feeling of inadequacy with the Indian batting options. To address this fracture, they roped in the Karnataka trio of KL Rahul (Joint second-highest Indian buy at INR. 11 Crore), Karun Nair and Mayank Agarwal, apart from going in for a proven middle-order performer in Manoj Tiwary. They augmented this with a glut of quality foreign imports in the batting arsenal by getting hold of Aaron Finch and David Miller plus the all-round option of Marcus Stoinis. Yuvraj Singh and Chris Gayle will be the experienced sounding boards in the squad.
While the batting looks beefy and settled, even if the potential weakness of the overseas batsmen against spin is factored in, the limited pace-bowling and wicketkeeping resources could cripple the team in the long run. KL Rahul behind the stumps and Akshdeep Nath as his replacement could mean runs leaked behind the stumps along with missed opportunities.
In Andrew Tye, they have a solid death-overs bowler but KXIP could be hamstrung by the lack of other options. Mohit Sharma, despite being a consistent wicket-taker, has been taken for runs, as has been the case with Stoinis. Ben Dwarshuis comes across as a good containing option with an economy rate of 6.96 in the Big Bash League while bowling consistently in the end overs but his inclusion could lead to combination problems as far as the four overseas players are concerned.
By roping in Mujeeb Zadran, the 17-year-old Afghanistan sensation, KXIP have an all-round spin option as the youngster can bowl traditional offspin along with legbreaks and googlies. With Ashwin also expected to harness his newly-developed legspin skills, KXIP have the wrist-spin options covered. However, Mujeeb's inclusion would mean that the an overseas batsman - either at the top or the middle order - would miss out, which will put the onus on the Indian batsmen. With Aaron Finch set to miss the first game owing to his marriage, it's likely to be a shoot-out between Gayle and Miller for one overseas slot, that is if KXIP are keen on using Mujeeb right from the start.
Squad: Mayank Agarwal, Mujeeb Zadran, Manzoor Dar, David Miller, Marcus Stoinis, R Ashwin (c), Pardeep Sahu, Manoj Tiwary, Yuvraj Singh, Karun Nair, KL Rahul, Andrew Tye, Akshdeep Nath, Chris Gayle, Aaron Finch, Mohit Sharma, Barinder Sran, Ankit Rajpoot, Mayank Dagar, Ben Dwarshuis, Axar Patel
Ins and outs:
By retaining only Axar Patel, it was clear that Kings XI were looking for a major overhaul with their team. During the auction, they used the Right to Match cards on Marcus Stoinis, David Miller and Mohit Sharma. Apart from these four, KXIP chose to go in with players outside their previous core, opting against the likes of Shaun Marsh, Hashim Amla, Glenn Maxwell and Eoin Morgan, while also not going for their previous Indian players such as Wriddhiman Saha, Sandeep Sharma, Manan Vohra, Murali Vijay and Gurkeerat Singh Mann - the change in approach spelling a departure from their previous methods.
Predicted style of play:
An immediate look at the squad indicates a batting heavy line-up, which KXIP will count upon to out-bat the oppositions. This would serve them well on grounds with short boundaries - like the ones in Indore where they play four home games, and Bengaluru.
Team composition:
Probable first XI: Chris Gayle/Aaron Finch, Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Yuvraj Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel, R Ashwin, Andrew Tye, Mujeeb Zadran, Mohit Sharma
Next in line: Manoj Tiwary, David Miller, Ben Dwarshuis, Ankit Rajpoot
Numbers:
R Ashwin will be the 11th captain to lead Kings XI. Incidentally, his first game with KXIP will be his maiden match as a captain in all 20-over cricket. He will become the first player to lead a side after plaing 100+ IPL matches (111).
Kings XI have a win-loss ratio of 0.92 in IPL games in Mohali - the second-lowest for any side at it's original home venue after Daredevils' 0.72 in Delhi.
Kings XI will be the seventh side represented by Aaron Finch in IPL - the most by any player. He previously appeared for Rajasthan Royals (2010), Delhi Daredevils (2011-12), Pune Warriors India (2013), Sunrisers Hyderabad (2014), Mumbai Indians (2015) and Gujarat Lions (2016-17).
League run:
Apart from having to travel to Bengaluru for their second match of the tournament, Kings XI Punjab will enjoy the comforts of Mohali where they play three of their first four games. While they would be busy travelling for three matches towards the end of April, they'll enjoy a week's break before heading to Indore where they'll play four of their next five matches. Their league stage journey ends with two away games, although they have a three-day break between those matches.