IPL 2019: 4 expensive players that KXIP might want to get rid of before next season
Out of the eight teams in the IPL, three have never won the championship. Kings XI Punjab are one of those unfortunate teams, and they have a lot of issues to address before they can truly challenge for the title.
KXIP have had just two playoff appearances - in 2008 and 2014 - and just one final appearance (2014). The rest of their seasons have been unfruitful, and that could be because they end up paying very high salaries to non-performing players.
Here is a look at four expensive players currently in their squad, who might need to be let go if KXIP want to contend for the playoffs next season:
1. Andrew Tye (Matches: 6, Wkts: 3, Economy: 10.59, Salary: 7.2 cr)
The winner of the Purple Cap last year with 24 wickets in 14 matches, Andrew Tye was unsurprisingly retained by the team ahead of the 2019 auctions. But things went horribly wrong for the Australian in IPL 2019.
In stark contrast to his 2018 season, Tye picked up just three wickets this year. That was hugely disappointing for the Kings XI, and a big factor in their inability to control the run flow at the death.
If KXIP let go of the high-salaried Tye, they could make good use of the spare money as his fellow Aussie Mitchell Starc will probably be available for selection next year.
2. Karun Nair (Matches: 1, Runs: 5, Salary: 5.6 cr)
The 2018 auctions saw Karun Nair being picked up by Punjab, and after finishing as the third highest run-scorer for the team he was retained in 2019.
Nair happens to be the only Indian apart from Virender Sehwag to have scored a triple century in Tests. But unfortunately for him, KXIP didn't give second chances to many batsmen; scoring just 5 runs against Mumbai Indians on the 10th of April was enough to make him sit out for the rest of the season.
Given that players like Mayank Agarwal have found form this season, Punjab don't have much use for Nair and are likely to release him before the next season begins.
3. Ankit Rajpoot (Matches: 4, Wkts: 3, Economy: 9.50, Salary: 3 cr)
Ankit Rajpoot is another player who was picked up by KXIP in the 2018 auctions. Performances like 5/16 against the Sunrisers Hyderabad led to him being retained for the next season as well.
However, he wasn't able to deliver this season. Given that pace bowling remains a concern for Punjab with only Mohammed Shami producing decent results, the team is likely to release him before 2020.
What makes the future particularly bleak for him at Punjab is the presence of youngsters like Arshdeep Singh in the team, who would be preferred due to the age factor.
4. David Miller (Matches 10, Runs 213, Salary: 3 cr)
KXIP are running out of excuses to keep David Miller in the team. The only thing that might go in his favor is that he has been a part of the team since his first IPL, in 2012.
The South African hasn't had much success since the 2014 season. Usually explosive in international matches, he has been unable to find his touch in the IPL.
With players in the middle order usually being a concern for Punjab and Sam Curran and Nicholas Pooran showing their ability in the last games of the season, it would be unlikely for Miller to be retained by the team next season.
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