IPL 2018: 4 things that went wrong for KXIP during the tournament
After having a rollicking start to their IPL campaign, Kings XI Punjab is in a spot of bother to qualify for the playoffs. The side led by Ashwin have lost five games in their last six matches and the thrashing at the hands of Royal Challengers Bangalore has pushed them down to the fifth position in the points table.
RCB chased down the lowest target of 88 IN 8.1 overs which has affected the net run rate immensely for the Kings XI and they have their work cut out to turn things around in their favor.
What went wrong for the Kings XI Punjab in the second half of the tournament? Let’s have a look.
#1 R Ashwin’s tactics
When Ravi Ashwin was made the captain of the Kings XI, he was keen on being an unpredictable captain and hoped to do different things when his team takes the field. Having had the experience of leading his state, a lot was expected from the 31-year-old and he did well during the first half of the IPL.
Many lauded his decision when he unleashed Chris Gayle against his former team Chennai Super Kings, which proved to be a masterstroke.
However, Ashwin seems to have lost the plot in the later stages of the tournament. The dominance of KL Rahul and Chris Gayle prompted the captain to push Aaron Finch down the order, which isn’t the best position for the Australian. David Miller, who has been a solid middle-order batsman for Punjab over the years, isn’t getting a game, which is a questionable decision.
The swapping between Manoj Tiwary and Yuvraj Singh has unsettled the side which isn’t helping their cause either.
Ashwin made a shocking move by promoting himself to no. 3 against Rajasthan Royals in match 40 of the IPL, and it backfired as the skipper went for nothing and they ended up losing the match by 15 runs with KL Rahul being the lone warrior.