IPL 2019 Auction: 5 Players KXIP should release before the auction
With the mini-auctions for the 2019 edition of Indian Premiere league around the corner, it is time for the franchises to take a few harsh decisions and release those players that didn't fit into their squad balance.
All eight franchises have been given 15 November as the deadline to make such crucial decisions and inform the governing council.
With the dates of Indian General Elections expected to clash with the IPL, the cash-rich tournament is expected to be played fully or partly outside India.
It becomes even more critical for teams to choose players that can perform in both situations. So this might be one of the parameters for the franchises to consider before considering or releasing players.
Kings XI Punjab is one of those three teams, who are yet to get their hands on the premier trophy. Year after Year it has been the same disappointing story for KXIP and last season was no different.
In 2018 edition, Punjab started their campaign with a bang winning five of their first six games. But the second half was exactly opposite as they managed just one win in their remaining eight fixtures to finish seventh on the points table.
In the aftermath of that King's have already traded All-rounder Marcus Stoinis for Mandeep Singh. Stoinis had a below-par season with Kings in 2018, scoring just 99 runs and picking three wickets. While Mandeep had a pretty decent season with RCB scoring 252 runs in his 13 outings.
So, without much ado, Let's have a look on five other players Kings XI Punjab can release before the auction.
#5 Mohit Sharma
Mohit Sharma had a decent IPL 2017 outing with the Kings XI Punjab, where he scalped 13 wickets at an average of 31.53.
The aftermath of which resulted in a bidding war for Sharma between the Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders. Ultimately, it was Kings XI Punjab who secured his services for 2018 edition using their Right to Match card at ₹2.4 Crores in the auction.
Sharma’s performance in the IPL 2018 was a stark contrast to his achievements in the previous year. In his nine outings,
He picked up just seven wickets at an average of 46 while leaking 486 runs at an economy of 10.85.
Meanwhile, Mohit's performance after IPL has been below par. In the recently concluded Vijay Hazare Trophy, he managed to pick four scalps in his nine outings for Haryana, which too didn't support his cause. So, the 30-year-old might find himself back in the auction pool.