IPL 2020: Kings XI Punjab SWOT Analysis
Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) were one of the heaviest spenders at the recently concluded IPL Auction. The Preity Zinta co-owned franchise has always been busy at the auctions and it was the same this year. They had the biggest purse (₹42.7 crores) with nine slots to fill in the team. The Anil Kumble-coached franchise ended up spending a total of ₹26.20 crores to fill these spots. KXIP operated smartly during the auctions and picked up the players they wanted at suitable prices.
After opting not to take part in the last season, Glenn Maxwell is set to return to the IPL in 2020 and is one of the players to watch out for. The Punjab-based franchise roped in the batting all-rounder for a whopping ₹ 10.75 crores.
West Indies speedster Sheldon Cottrell (₹ 8.5 crores), Chris Jordan (₹ 3 crores), India leggie Ravi Bishnoi (₹ 2 crores), and Jimmy Neesham (₹ 50 lakhs) were some of the other players roped in to bolster the Kings XI Punjab Squad for 2020.
Let us do a SWOT analysis of the team to dive deeper into the Kings XI Punjab Squad for IPL 2020.
Strengths
Aussie all-rounder Glenn Maxwell is certainly the X-factor player in the squad. The batting powerhouse adds a lot of depth for KXIP. Only one day after the IPL Auctions concluded, Glenn Maxwell smashed 83 off 39 deliveries for the Melbourne Stars in a Big Bash League match. The knock was laden with sixes and he middled almost every ball.
The opening pair of KL Rahul and Chris Gayle is another huge strength for KXIP. The Indian wicket-keeper batsman finished 2nd on the list of top run-scorers last season with 593 runs in 14 games at a brilliant average of 53.90 and strike rate of 135.38. Gayle, with 490 runs in 13 games at a phenomenal strike rate of 153.60, was equally effective.
The duo provided excellent starts for Punjab in the previous season and will look to continue to do the same this time around as well. Rahul is in excellent form currently and played a few solid knocks in India's recent series against West Indies, Sri Lanka, Australia, and New Zealand.
Mandeep Singh and Mayank Agarwal are also extremely handy batsman who will take care of the upper-middle order. Sarfaraz Khan, with his creative shots, also showed his ability as a finisher last season.
All in all, the batting unit of KXIP is well-balanced and one of their biggest strengths.
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