IPL 2021: Three Players Kings XI Punjab should target in the auction
Kings XI Punjab had another disappointing outing in the IPL last term as the Mohali-based franchise failed to qualify for the playoffs of the tournament for the sixth successive season. As a result of that, they released a number of their biggest earners ahead of the upcoming IPL 2021 auctions, including Aussie all-rounder Glenn Maxwell and West Indian pacer Sheldon Cottrell.
The Punjab-based side will now be heading into the auction room with a total of nine slots to fill in their squad and have the largest spending purse of ₹53.2 Crores available to them for recruitments.
On that note, here is a list of three players KXIP should target in the IPL 2021 auction.
#3 Jhye Richardson
One of the biggest issues for Kings XI Punjab last season was the inefficiency of their fast bowlers, especially in the death overs. Sheldon Cottrell and Jimmy Nesham, two of Punjab's biggest buys during the last auction, failed to live up to expectations and were subsequently released by Anil Kumble and his management.
Australian pacer Jhye Richardson is among the best young bowlers in the world currently and could prove to be a great addition to the Kings squad.
The 24-year-old was in an exceptional form in the recently concluded Big Bash League and he finished as the tournament's leading wicket-taker. He picked up 29 wickets in 17 games with a strike rate of 12.70, while conceding just 7.69 runs per over.
At the international level, he has featured in nine T20I's for the Aussies thus far, picking up nine wickets. He was also included in Australia's 15-man squad for the ICC World Cup 2019 but was later ruled out of the competition through a shoulder injury.
Also see: KXIP retained players list 2021