Punjab squad IPL 2016 : Meet the Kings XI Punjab squad for IPL season 9
The Kings XI Punjab is a team filled with star-studded players but they have always been quite inconsistent with their performances in a whole season. The Punjab squad has entered the playoffs/semi-final stage of the tournament twice in 2008 and 2014.
IPL 2015 was a horrendous season for the Kings as they finished last on the table, winning just 3 out of 14 matches.
However, this season’s squad has been bolstered by some impressive buys in the auction. The batting is a powerhouse with the likes of Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Wriddhiman Saha and skipper David Miller. The bowling also looks good led by Mitchell Johnson. After the dismal show in 2015, then skipper George Bailey was released from the team, and David Miller was appointed skipper for the upcoming season.
With Virender Sehwag opting to mentor KXIP post-retirement, the experienced combination of him and head coach Sanjay Bangar will be looking to guide them towards their elusive IPL tournament win.
How did the auctions go for them?
The Punjab think-tank was quite animated during the course of the auction and by the end of it, eight players were bought. Three foreigners in Kyle Abbott, Farhaan Behardien and Marcus Stoinis were bought while Mohit Sharma was the biggest buy at a price of 6.5 crores.
Upcoming teen Armaan Jaffer was bought for 10 lakh and the local spin trio of Pardeep Sahu, Swapnil Singh and were bought for 10 lakh each while was roped in for 80 lakh.
Strengths:
The batting order seems very explosive with Vohra and Marsh showing their prowess in the previous seasons. Murali Vijay is a tested opener and it will be interesting to see how he is used. Saha has been very useful, and ‘Big-show’ Maxwell is always an entertainer with the bat in hand.
David Miller adds the finishing touch to the squad with his incredible hitting while Akshar Patel and Rishi Dhawan can be handy all-rounders.
Weaknesses:
The one decisive factor would be the way David Miller, the newly appointed captain handles this team. Having never captained any team before, Miller will have to go about his work with a lot of precision to provide competition to other teams in the fray for this year’s IPL.
Franchise details:
Owner : KPH Dream Pvt. limited, The Oberoi group.
Captain : David Miller
Home : Punjab Cricket Association (Mohali), Vidharbha Cricket Association Stadium (Nagpur).
Hstory : 2008- semifinalists, 2009- group stages, 2010- Last place, 2011- 5th position, 2012- 6th position, 2013- group stage, 2014- runners-up, 2015- Last place.
Kings XI Punjab’s schedule for IPL 9:
| Date | Opposition | Venue | Time |
| 10th April 2016 | Kolkata Knight Riders | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | 20:00 |
| 15th April 2016 | Delhi Daredevils | Ferozeshah Kotla, Delhi | 20:00 |
| 17th April 2016 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore | 20:00 |
| 23rd April 2016 | Mumbai Indians | Ferozeshah Kotla, Delhi | 16:00 |
| 27th April 2016 | Gujarat Lions | Ferozeshah Kotla, Delhi | 20:00 |
| 30th April 2016 | Kolkata Knight Riders | Ferozeshah Kotla, Delhi | 20:00 |
| 3rd May 2016 | Gujarat Lions | Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot | 20:00 |
| 5th May 2016 | Rising Pune Supergiants | Ferozeshah Kotla, Delhi | 20:00 |
| 7th May 2016 | Kings XI Punjab | Vidharbha Cricket Association stadium, Nagpur | 20:00 |
| 12th May 2016 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Rajiv Gandhi Intl. Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad | 20:00 |
| 15th May 2016 | Mumbai Indians | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | 16:00 |
| 17th May 2016 | Rising Pune Supergiants | Maharashtra Cricket Association's International Stadium, Pune | 20:00 |
| 20th May 2016 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium, Naya Raipur | 20:00 |
| 22nd May 2016 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium, Naya Raipur | 20:00 |