4 players Kings XI Punjab need to target for IPL 2019
The Kings XI Punjab were off to a flying start this season and were at the top of the table during the first half of the 2018 IPL. They were almost certain of making it to the playoffs at one stage.
However, their fortunes changed in the second half of the season and they finished at the No. 7 in the standings with just six wins out of their fourteen league games. Chris Gayle looked fantastic in the first half but his form gradually dwindled as the season progressed.
It was KL Rahul and Andrew Tye's season all the way as they dominated the batting and bowling charts. But other notable players failed to step-up for Ashwin's men. Their middle-order comprising mainly of Indian players failed miserably. This mainly led to their downfall in addition to their domestic pace talents who were far from impressive.
A more dependable middle-order batsman and a proven all-rounder could have made things easy for Punjab this season. But they had plenty of positives to take from this season. All they have to do now is to build a challenging squad for next season. Let us now look at four players whom they need to target next season.
#4 Rovman Powell
The big-hitting Jamaican is an ideal T20 player, who can score quick runs down the order as well as bowl useful medium-pace bowling. In the 2017 IPL, he was bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 30 lakhs during the auctions. Unfortunately, he did not get a chance to don the jersey for the entire season.
The Caribbean all-rounder made the headlines for his astonishing century against Ireland in the ICC 2019 World cup qualifiers in Zimbabwe (March 2018). Powell, who plays for the Jamaica Tallawahs in the Caribbean Premier League has scored 401 runs in 23 innings at a strike-rate of 121.9.
He has also taken seven wickets in 12 innings with his best figures being 2/36. With the Kings XI Punjab lacking a perfect fast-bowling all-rounder who can bat at the lower middle-order as well as contribute with pace bowling, Powell might the answer to their woes next season. He went unsold with a base price of INR 50 lakh at this year's auctions