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IPL 2019: 3 unsold players who could have helped KXIP qualify for the playoffs

Ravichandran Ashwin's men failed to qualify for the playoffs (Image credits: IPLT20/BCCI)
Ravichandran Ashwin's men failed to qualify for the playoffs (Image credits: IPLT20/BCCI)

Kings XI Punjab has been one of the most unsuccessful franchises in the Indian Premier League and this trend continued this season as well. Similar to 2018, they started their season on a positive note but had a woeful second half. Their batting depended heavily on KL Rahul and Chris Gayle, and their bowling depended on Ravichandran Ashwin and Mohammed Shami.

They punched above their weight in the first half of the season, but, faltered in the second half. They were highly dependent on a few individuals and never performed as a. Some of the decisions taken by Ashwin as captain were questionable and giving Karun Nair only one game was an injustice.

They had a fragile middle order, leaked runs in the power play and at the death, and even struggled to score runs quickly in the first 6 and last 4 overs. Overall, they had several weaknesses and they would have wanted to draft in some of the unsold players.

Let us have a look at 3 unsold players who could have helped them qualify for the playoffs.

#3 Liam Dawson

Liam Dawson in action in the Royal London One Day Cup
Liam Dawson in action in the Royal London One Day Cup

Liam Dawson is a very handy athlete and he is the kind of player every captain wants. He can bat in the top 6 and can bowl 3-4 overs. He has been in excellent form in the ongoing Royal London One Day Cup in England. In the 50-over competition, he has scored runs at a strike rate of 106 and has a phenomenal average of 49. He has also picked up 15 wickets in 7 games. He was also seen in the Pakistan Super League.

He has picked up 110 wickets in 128 innings at a strike rate of 21.7 and has a brilliant economy rate of 7.32. He has an average of 19.21 and a strike rate of 115 in T20 cricket, but he is a much better batsman than what the stats suggest.

KXIP lacked solidity in their middle order and they played with only 5 bowling options on most days. This meant that they didn't have a part-time option, and whenever they went in someone like Mandeep Singh, they were punished. Liam Dawson could have batted for them at number 6. With him in the team, he would have provided KXIP with an additional bowling option, which would have been very useful for them.

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